You Are Not My Mother (2021) Review

Teenager Char (Hazel Doupe) has more than her fair share of struggles. She’s regularly picked on by bullies, and her home life is far from happy; she’s cared for by her grandmother and uncle, as her mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken) is bedridden. One morning, Char is forced to ask her mother for a lift to school – consequently, her mother does not return from this outing. The following evening she shows up at the house with no explanation – from there, the family start to notice changes in Angela’s behaviour, which become increasingly alarming as time passes. Char’s grandmother Rita has her own beliefs about what is happening to Angela, which are based on ancient mythology and dark folklore, but it is not until the culmination of events on Halloween night when Char finally accepts the devastating reality of the situation: she is the only one who can save her mother, even if it means potentially losing her forever.

Writer-director Kate Dolan’s YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER is a quietly devastating and intimate portrayal of a fractured family unit attempting to support each other through mental illness. Supernatural horror elements are sensitively integrated into the narrative, injecting tension into an already unsettling premise via superbly crafted scares, while the North Dublin housing estate in the cool autumn provides an atmospheric and gritty backdrop for the exploration of these weighty themes.

The startling vulnerability of the characters adds another dimension to this impressive feature debut, and as Char grapples with simultaneous feelings of fear and love towards her mother, we as an audience are simultaneously haunted and moved.