MIA MADRE/MY MOTHER
Italy, 2015, 106 minutes, Colour.
Margherita Buy, John Turturro, Nanni Moretti, Giulia Lazzarini.
Directed by Nanni Moretti.
This is a film about death and dying, written and directed by celebrated Italian director, Nanni Moretti. He has treated serious themes of death in previous films including Dear Diary and, especially, the Golden Palm winner at Cannes, 2002, The Son’s Room. He draws on experience, and this time on very personal experience, his mother dying while he was making his previous film, Habemus Papam, We Have a Pope.
But this is a very different autobiographical film. Instead of casting himself as the director, Moretti changes the director into a woman, played very effectively by Margherita Buy. She is not a very sympathetic character. instead, Moretti gives himself a lesser role, the director’s brother, who has given up his job to spend time with his dying mother, sensitive to her needs, sitting with her, a son acting in an ideal way.
Giulia Lazzarini, 80 of the time of making the film, makes the dying Ada convincing. She has been a strong woman, a teacher devoted to her pupils, relishing her books and study methods, an expert in the classics and, especially, Latin which she is coaching her granddaughter in. She is ill, in hospital, IV treatment, declining at one stage, with the decision, though she is unwilling and fearful, to take her home so that she can die in her own house.
There is a parallel plot throughout the film, the actual film, about workers in clashes with company authorities and difficulties about contracts with strikes, which Margherita is directing. it is here that we see the real Margherita, not the daughter moved by her mother’s plight while struggling how to express this, but a taskmaster with very few kind words to staff or crew. This comes to a head when she employs an egotistical American actor, played expertly by John Turturro, who struggles with his Italian and pronunciation, inflates stories about himself and his career, especially concerning Stanley Kubrick, an impatient man who begins to forget his lines and does not take easily to the director’s demands. This puts Margherita even more on edge, compounded by a relationship with her former husband, her daughter, and the breakup of a relationship with one of her actors.
Later in the film, Margherita summons the actor and there is a most significant conversation or, rather, an almost monologue by the actor telling her the truth about herself, her coldness, her demands, the poor effect she has on everyone – later compounded by an outburst from the angry actor, and gently confirmed by her brother agreeing with everybody’s diagnosis.
So, the film keeps moving from one plot to the other, making the character studies of mother and daughter dramatically complex, emotionally complex.
This is a skilful film about film making in Italy, the mechanics, the logistics, impressively showing several scenes in production, strike action, filming driving, the personal relationships, the challenges and demands. it is also a skilful film in portraying the character of a director caught up in professional demands as well as a private story – something Federico Fellini did many decades ago in different ways in 8 ½. And Moretti makes the film even more significant by making his director female.
Advertising for the film highlights “warm”. This is not exactly an adjective to describe the film or the characters, except the son and the granddaughter. It is much tougher than warm. And its complexities give the audience a great deal of human responses to reflect on.
The advertising posters make a great deal of the fact that Mia Madre won the Ecumenical Award in Cannes, 2015.
1. A film about death and dying? The effect on the person dying, on close family members? Denial, support?
2. The director, his previous films and the treatment of death? The experience of the death of his mother while filming? Substituting a female character for himself as director? Giving himself a more sympathetic role as the brother?
3. Italian atmosphere, the city, apartments, shops, hospital, the film sets?
4. The musical score, the range of music selections and composers?
5. The narrative of Ada’s dying and death? The range of flashbacks, the dreams?
6. The focus on the mother dying, age, illness, the touches of dementia, her appearance, in the hospital, the room, bed, the IV treatment, care? The past, her career, teacher, her books and notes, love of Latin? With Margherita? With Giovanni? Her memories? The visits, Lydia, coaching and Latin? Going back to her home, becoming weaker, dying?
7. The focus on Margherita, her life, her memories and dreams, relationships, fond of her mother, of her daughter? Something of a cold manner? Her visits, going to the deli, her brother bringing the better meal? Talking with her mother, nodding off to sleep, the range of dreams, terror, fears? Dreams of death, the flood in the room and her exasperation, mopping? Her relationship with her ex-husband? With Olivia, Livia’s visits, study? Training her on the scooter with her ex-husband? Her being summoned to her mother’s dying? Her relying on Giovanni?
8. Margherita, her movie, the opening sequence of the clash between the workers and the police, close-ups? Her emerging as director, her interactions with the crew, the cast, being critical? Never satisfied? Meeting Barry, the drive, her reaction to him, the meal and his drinking, loud, the discussions about Kubrick? Margherita directing his scenes, in the factory, driving the car, the cafeteria, the discussions about the contract? His Italian, limited, bad pronunciations? Forgetting his lines? Margherita saying stop? Her anger, his anger, primadonna behaviour, her film?
9. Giovanni, pleasant, care for his mother, resigning from his job, not wanting to continue, meals, sitting with his mother, the meal for Barry? Continued support?
10. Vittorio, member of the cast, the relationship with Margherita, his packing and leaving? Margherita summoning him, his strong talk to her? An important talk for the audience to understand Margherita? Giovanni agreeing? The possibilities for her changing, attitude towards her mother, to the crew, to Barry? Her trying?
11. Barry, American, his Italian, accent? His career, pride, boasting, the lies about Kubrick? Drinking? Performance, forgetting his lines, his anger, temperament, denouncing the dialogue, the film? The clashes with Margherita? Anger at her saying stop? The touch of mellowing, the meal at her house with Giovanni, the birthday celebration, the dance with the costume designer? His final performance and success?
12. Livia, age, relationship with her mother, her father, loving her grandmother, the Latin, the study? The scooter? The news of her grandmother dying, covering herself in bed, she and her father going? Sitting and attending?
13. Margherita called from the set, going to her mother, the dying and its effect, the packing up of the goods and the books, the empty room with the boxes? The final close-up of Margherita?
