After seeing boring, so-so, okay and/or
horrible films for 6 months I always hang in theer knowing a gem will
come along and "Mother and Child" is one of those gems.

With a cast worth its weight in gold and each
giving a better than average performance plus 'names' in cameo and/or
supporting roles this film is what Independent Films are all about. The
movie, though called Mother and Child, could have been called Mothers
and daughters or just Adoption.

Karen, Annette Bening, was pregnant at 14
and was forced by her mother, Eileen Ryan, who is now bedridden and
taken care of by Karen, has turned into a bitter woman who resents the
daughter of their housekeeper, Elpidia Carrillo, who
reminds her of the child she lost and that her mother is warmer to them
than her.

It is not a spoiler to tell you that
Elizabeth, Naomi Watts, is Karen's daughter 37 years later, neither
having not seen each other. Elizabeth is a cold, fiercely independent
who must always be in control in every aspect of her life including
using her sexuality.

Lucy, Kerry Washington, unable to have children,
and her husband want to adopt a child and find a birth mother who wants
to give her child up. Ada, S. Epatha Merkerson, Lucy's mother,
supports and irritates her in equal measures.

Samuel L. Jackson
becomes Elizabeth's boss, and love,r while Jimmy Smits pursues Karen though she is
always shooting him down. Cherry Jones is Sister Joanne an adoption sponser involved with Karen and
Lucy while Amy Brennerman is
a doctor.

The picture isn't
perfect but it would be knit picking to say Jimmy Smits better go on a
diet and the director, and writer, Rodrigo Garcia, does put in an extra
'artistic' scene here and there but he takes the time to let you know
the characters and to feel for them. There are a couple of unexplained
things such as what happened to the panties put in the wrong draw and
why does one pregnancy take so much longer than another, story wise, but
you are so drawn into the stories they really don't matter.

The acting is first rate all around but
the major surprise to me was Samuel L. Jackson doing a role far removed
from others he has done, followed closely by Naomi Watts who previous
to this really didn't impress me though I have seen her in a few movies. Annette Bening gives another consistently award winning performance.

PUT THIS ON YOUR MUST SEE LIST