'Stunning.' (★★★★★) – The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)

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'Deeply affecting.' (★★★★) – Financial Times (Raphael Abraham)

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'Poignant and eye-opening.’ (★★★★) ​– The Sunday Times (Edward Porter)

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'Examines caregiving with great poignancy' - CNN (Thomas Page)

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‘A radical achievement: a love letter to loss, sacrifice and yearning. This is intimate observational documentary-making of a high standard.’ (★★★★★) – The Guardian (Charlie Phillips)

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'MOTHER elegantly depicts both the pain and beauty of the fight to maintain that bond and do what’s healthiest for all.' – Movable Fest (Stephen Saito)

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'A touching tribute to the selflessness and humanity of caregivers.' (★★★) – The Irish Times (Tara Brady)

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'A film that’s moving and always surprising, exploring love and sacrifice that transcend distance and memory.' – VOX.com (Alissa Wilkinson)

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'A detailed study in the cultural differences involved in familial bonds.' – The Seventh Art (Srikanth Srinivasan)

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'A warm image and a laurel made not only to the mother and all the mothers, but also to all those who cared for and said last farewells to loved ones.' – Eye for Film (Mateusz Tarwacki)

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'Patient, atypical and universal... Mother doesn’t simplify but rather multiplies the emotional challenges.' – Film Comment (Eric Hynes)

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'Mother is an honest and emotionally charged documentary piece that collects the dualities in a comprehensible whole.' – Ubiquarian (Marko Stojiljkovic)

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'The potentially downbeat subject matter of Mother might make some potential viewers nervous, but it proves a deeply humane, life-affirming experience.' (*** 1/2) Video Librarian (Frank Swietek)

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'A film full of emotions – love and sadness, life and death.' (★★★★★) Filmkommentaren (Tue Steen Müller)

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'MOTHER becomes a metaphor for yearning, compassion and empathy. Like that alone could justify such selflessness.' – Indian Express (Ishita Sengupta) 

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'Deeply moving and incredibly affecting MOTHER will rock your world. Working on so many levels beyond the surface this is a film that will haunt you for days after you see it.' – Unseen Films (Steve Kopian)

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'A single tapestry of profound emotional conflict.' – Hammer To Nail (Christopher Reed)

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'A heartfelt documentary which enables us to witness the healing and transformative possibilities of compassionate end-of-life caregiving.' –  Spirituality & Practice (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

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‘A tribute to kindness and solidarity. Watch it if you can.’ (★★★★) – Dirty Movies (Victor Fraga)

 

'Fascinating and thought-provoking' (★★★★) - Filmuforia (Meredith Taylor)

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'A remarkable film. The film explores what real caregiving is about - authentic presence, caring relationships, and the caretaking of memories. Just a wonderful film for all of us concerned with the enormous issues of global aging.'  (Arthur Kleinman - Harvard University, and the author of The Soul of Care)

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'Infinitely moving.' - Reel Steel (Rhiannon Topham)

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‘Beautiful. Kristof Bilsen continues to establish himself as a gifted documentary voice.’ – Cineuropa (David Katz)

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'This moving film truly shines in its exploration of the universal complexity of the parent/child relationship.' - Third Coast Review (Lisa Trifone)

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‘The themes this film tackles have certainly been studied before but never quite in this fashion. ‘Mother’ is a terrific piece of work with a unique take on an issue that we can all understand.’ - Battle Royale with Cheese

(Dan Barnes)

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‘Films must be honest about tragedy’ –  The Guardian (Stuart Jeffries)
 

'Mother is a tale of feminine strength and dignity, resilience in the face of enormous challenges,
and the unique connection between a mother and her child." (Mekong Review)

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'Mother is a tender depiction of the intersection of sacrifice and loss and its heartbreaking honesty in exploring the complexities of motherhood from different realities.' (Sheffield Doc/Fest Jury statement)

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'Long after we watched it, the unique story of MOTHER kept resonating in our minds.' (Dutch Film Critics Circle/Int'l Film Festival Rotterdam 2020 -  Jury statement)

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'Carried by a sensitive and delicate direction, MOTHER achieves both in the direction and in the writing a critical virtuosity. The director's gaze on the protagonists accompanies us with solicitude. Indeed, the film maintains a tension and manages to raise our awareness of the lives of the characters while highlighting, without judgment, the injustice of their respective situations.' (Belgian Film Critics Circle/Millennium Int'l Doc Festival Brussels 2020 -  Jury statement)

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'Tender and delicate. Through the generous spirit of Pomm, we recognize that to be a mother is to care, and to treat those around us with respect and kindness. A truly moving portrait.' (True/False)

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Interview with Dementia UK

 

Filmed Q&A conversation with Kirsten Johnson (exec producer) and Kristof Bilsen at DOC NYC.
 

Interview by Christopher Reed with Kirsten Johnson (exec producer) and Kristof Bilsen, on Hammer To Nail

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Interview by Caroline Nahra with director Kristof Bilsen, on docsonscreens 

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Interview by Steve Saito with director Kristof Bilsen, on The Moveable Fest

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Interview by Adam Schartoff with director Kristof Bilsen, on FilmWax Radio Podcast
 

Interview by Danny Peary with director Kristof Bilsen, on FilmInk