Shubhabrata Dutta
The tapestry of love between a mom and her son is carefully woven with sacrifice, compromise, and understanding. Mother-son relationships can have their own cinematic universe, with different variants of both characters coming together to serve a higher purpose. However, the relationship comes with its own fair share of complexities, heartwarming moments, and shattering revelations. Here, we bring you the best mom-son movies available on Hulu, each of which explores one among the many forms of this relationship.
6. The Desperate Hour (2021)
In Phillip Noyce’s ‘The Desperate Hour,’ a jog deep in the woods takes a dramatic turn for Amy Carr (Naomi Watts), a single mom who comes to know that her son’s school has been subjected to a shooting. All the interactions in the film occur via her phone as she reaches out to different people and enquires about her son, frantically trying to find out how the situation is until a grave possibility shakes her to the core. Watts does a good job of showing the tension and urgency of a mother worried about her child but has no idea how or in what position the latter is. The film also effectively establishes the fear of a school shooting. Overall, ‘The Desperate Hour’ is a good watch that you can find here.
5. A Dot Com Mom (2016)
An Indian Marathi-language family drama, ‘A Dot Com Mom’ is the story of Sulbhatai (Meena Nerurkar), an Indian middle-class mom whose visit to her millionaire son, Sunil (Sai Gundewar), in the United States brings her a culture shock. Sunil’s wife, Seema (Apurva Bhalerao), cannot cope with Sulbhatai’s Indian POV and habits either, affecting not only the husband-wife dynamic but, more importantly, as per our titular topic, the mother-son dynamic.
Naturally, love and disregard come into question, and Sulbhatai is forced to reconsider her decision to visit and whether Sunil, despite his loving demeanor, is happy with it. Nerurkar is also the film’s director and steals the spotlight with her charm as a clueless mom. Under all the comedy, however, there is a sense of longing and belonging that adds to the film’s sentimentality. You can watch ‘A Dot Com Mom’ here.
4. All That We Destroy (2019)
Directed by Chelsea Stardust, ‘All That We Destroy’ offers a rare perspective of a mother-son relationship. It revolves around geneticist Dr. Victoria Harris (Samantha Mathis), who finds out that her son, Spencer (Israel Broussard), has killed a woman and might just be a serial killer in the making. To curb his killer instincts, she starts making clones of the woman he killed. This way, Spencer can kill the same person again and again without really killing anyone. Will this help Spencer heal, or will Victoria have to take the “help” of her new neighbor, Marissa (Dora Madison)?
While the film is a sci-fi thriller at the outset, it is underscored by a peculiar mother-son relationship that is potentially dangerous yet compelling. A mom trying to help her son deal with his nature while covering for his crime induces a strong dichotomy that provides a sadistic satisfaction. Overall, a gripping watch, ‘All That We Destroy’ can be streamed here.
3. Lullaby (2022)
When is a lullaby not a lullaby? When it summons an evil entity, of course. In the John R. Leonetti directorial, Oona Chaplin stars as Rachel, a newbie mom who unknowingly calls upon Lilith, a female figure from Jewish legends, after reading a lullaby from an ancient book for her son. While the entity has multiple interpretations, Lilith is shown as a taker of children in this film. Soon, Rachel has to fight for the life of her baby, wondering how to get rid of something that is not even from this world.
In pinning a supernatural entity against a mom-son duo, the film stresses the strength that lies in the latter, and the makers do a good job of establishing that. Co-writer Alex Greenfield incorporates lore into the story pretty nicely, thanks to his father, who was an occult investigator. This adds richness to the otherwise standard horror approach. You can watch ‘Lullaby’ here.
2. Prayers for Bobby (2009)
Based on the book of the same name by Leroy F. Aarons, ‘Prayers for Bobby’ is a powerful drama that tells the true story of a staunch Christian woman, Mary Griffith, and her gay son, Bobby Griffith, who killed himself in 1983 after Mary denied accepting him and tried to “cure” him. The guilt of her son’s death eventually led her to renounce her rigid religious beliefs and become a gay rights activist.
Sigourney Weaver shines as Mary Griffith, masterfully showcasing the mother’s traits and transformation. Ryan Kelley, too, does a commendable job as Bobby, who struggles with himself while trying to make his mother understand how he feels. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, ‘Prayers for Bobby’ won the Favorite Narrative Film award at the 2009 Seattle Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Audience Appreciation Award. You can watch the film here.
1. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, Justine Triet’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ is a compelling legal drama that is no less than a study of a mother-son relationship. When Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), their son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) — who is partially blind owing to an accident — becomes the sole witness. The conflicted accounts of Sandra and Daniel, along with the autopsy report, lead to a case that inherently explores a rare mother-son dynamic that results from their separate predicaments as well as mutual love. You can watch the film here.
Read More: Best Mom Son Movies on Netflix
