Cover If you’re stumped for ideas on how to spend time with your mum, consider watching these Mother’s Day movies. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
If you’re stumped for ideas on how to spend time with your mum, consider watching these Mother’s Day movies. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
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Whether you’re a mum or celebrating one, these Mother’s Day movies provide a heartfelt tribute to the enduring spirit of motherhood
Mother’s Day isn’t just about the brunches and carnations. It’s a moment to reflect on the beautiful, brutal and often under-acknowledged emotional labour of motherhood. These films go beyond the card-worthy clichés to spotlight real mothers: fierce, flawed, funny and endlessly resilient. Whether it’s the single mum quietly holding a family together, the free spirit coming to terms with her new responsibilities or the tiger mum learning to loosen her grip, these stories offer catharsis, recognition and maybe even a good cry.
Here are 13 Mother’s Day movies that say, “I see you, Mum”.
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1. ‘Lady Bird’ (2017)
This coming-of-age story portrays the turbulent yet tender relationship between a high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) and her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf). The contemplative plot, brought to life by dynamic performances, captures the push-and-pull dynamic that many mothers and their teenage daughters will find deeply relatable.
2. ‘Stepmom’ (1998)
When a marriage breaks down, no one is more affected than the children. This emotional tale features a soon-to-be stepmum struggling to find her footing within her impending life and a terminally ill mother who’s just coming to terms with her divorce and missing out on her children’s future. Eventually, Isabel (Julia Roberts) and Jackie (Susan Sarandon) reach mutual ground. The film sensitively navigates themes of acceptance, blended families and the unbreakable bonds of maternal love.
3. ‘Real Women Have Curves’ (2002)
What is it about coming-of-age stories and motherhood? Based on a play, it follows a Mexican-American teenager, Ana Garcia (America Ferrera), as she navigates cultural expectations and body image. Her relationship with her mother, marked by both tension and deep love, highlights the complexities of maternal influence. This film is an underrated gem and a must-watch on your list of favourite Mother’s Day movies.
Also read: Mother’s Day gift guide: 5 thoughtful presents for your mum and the maternal figures in your life
4. ‘Anak’ (2000)
In this poignant Filipino drama, Josie (Vilma Santos) leaves her homeland to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, aiming to provide a better future for her family. Unbeknownst to her, her husband passes away during her absence. Upon her return, she faces resentment from her children, especially her eldest daughter, Carla (Claudine Barretto), who feels abandoned. The film details the emotional toll of overseas work on familial relationships, highlighting the sacrifices made by many Filipino mothers.
5. ‘The Meddler’ (2015)
Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon), a recent widow, moves to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne). Her well-intentioned involvement in Lori's life leads to humorous and heartfelt moments, showcasing the challenges of letting go and the enduring nature of maternal care.
6. ‘The Joy Luck Club’ (1993)
Adapted from Amy Tan’s bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club is a touching and sweeping portrait of eight women—four Chinese American daughters and their immigrant mothers—who navigate the rift between two cultures and generations. At its heart, the film is a celebration of motherhood in all its complicated glory. From Suyuan Woo’s (Kieu Chinh) quiet sacrifices to Lindo Jong’s (Tsai Chin) fierce pride, each mother imparts lessons wrapped in pain, resilience and unspoken love.
Their daughters, worlds apart in language and lifestyle, grapple with inherited trauma and expectations, learning that their mothers’ silence was often an armour forged by history. This one is a must when you're planning a marathon of Mother’s Day movies.
7. ‘Tokyo Sonata’ (2008)
This Japanese drama portrays the disintegration of the Sasaki family after the patriarch loses his job. Megumi (Kyōko Koizumi), the mother, struggles to maintain normalcy amidst the family’s unravelling. Her quiet resilience and eventual assertion of independence offer a compelling look at a mother’s role in a changing family dynamic.
8. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
In this chaotic, genre-bending multiverse epic, Michelle Yeoh gives a career-defining performance as Evelyn Wang, a weary laundromat owner burdened by taxes, regrets and a drifting connection with her daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu). But when the multiverse cracks open, Evelyn becomes an unlikely heroine in an absurd, high-stakes journey to reclaim her relationship with her child.
Through hot dog fingers and bagel metaphysics, Everything Everywhere All at Once becomes a breathtaking metaphor for generational disconnect and reconciliation. Evelyn’s arc (equal parts kung fu master, existential philosopher and immigrant mother) is a tribute to the unglamorous, everyday heroism of motherhood. In all its messiness and beauty, she shows that being a good mother means embracing chaos and choosing love in every universe.
9. ‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
You wouldn’t expect a list of Mother’s Day movies to include a horror film, but there’s nothing like terror to bring out one’s maternal instincts. In a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by sound-sensitive creatures, Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) strives to protect her family in silence. Her fierce determination and sacrifices underscore the primal instincts of motherhood in the face of unimaginable threats.
10. ‘Mother’ (2009)
Directed by Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho, this thriller follows a devoted mother (Kim Hye-ja) whose intellectually disabled son, Do-joon (Won Bin), is accused of murdering a young girl. Convinced of his innocence, she embarks on a relentless quest to uncover the truth. The film explores the depths of maternal devotion, questioning the lengths a mother will go to protect her child.
See more: Bong Joon-Ho confirms 2 sequels to his Oscar-winning movie, Parasite
11. ‘Terms of Endearment’ (1983)
Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) is a widowed, sharp-tongued mother whose love for her daughter Emma (Debra Winger) is as intense as it is meddlesome. Spanning 30 years, their relationship is a whirlwind of bickering, reconciliation and razor-sharp affection, tracking Emma’s life choices and Aurora’s reluctant growth into vulnerability. MacLaine and Winger’s chemistry makes this not just a tearjerker, but a sharply observed portrait of a mother who can’t help but smother. Let’s not forget the daughter who both resents and needs it.
12. ‘Mother India’ (1957)
An epic portrayal of maternal strength, this classic film features Radha (Nargis Dutt), a woman who endures immense hardships to raise her sons after her husband’s departure. Facing poverty and societal challenges, Radha’s unwavering moral compass and sacrifices epitomise the archetype of the selfless mother.
13. ‘The Babadook’ (2014)
Amelia Vanek (Essie Davis) is a grieving widow and single mother whose son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), is spiralling into fear and paranoia over a mysterious storybook monster. But as the Babadook’s presence grows more menacing, the film reveals itself as a chilling allegory for depression, trauma and the isolating intensity of motherhood. Amelia’s exhaustion is palpable and her patience thin, but her fight is relentless. The Babadook doesn’t just terrify—it lays bare the raw, unspoken truths of maternal despair and the herculean task of showing up for your child even when your world is falling apart.
14. ‘Pieces of a Woman’ (2020)
Martha Weiss (Vanessa Kirby) is a woman whose world shatters after the loss of her newborn during a home birth. What follows is a slow, aching unravelling of her identity as a mother, partner and daughter, made even more complex by her domineering mother (Ellen Burstyn). The film is less about resolution and more about the quiet, unbearable persistence of grief and the fractured, imperfect ways women try to hold each other (and themselves) together.
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