Pratik Handore
Directed by Niki Caro, Netflix’s ‘The Mother’ is an action drama film starring Jennifer Lopez in the titular role and follows an unnamed woman known simply as “The Mother.” After enemies from her past target her estranged daughter, The Mother, a highly skilled female assassin, fights against all odds to protect her. As a result, several questions about Zoe’s birth and her eventual separation from her biological mother are raised. Hence, viewers must be wondering who is Zoe’s father and why The Mother gives up the young girl in ‘The Mother.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Adrian Is Zoe’s Father
In ‘The Mother,’ Zoe is the daughter of the titular character who lives with her adoptive parents. In the film, actress Lucy Paez essays the role of Zoe. Paez was born in San Pedro Garza Garcia, México, and is a relative newcomer to acting. She made her screen debut in the 2018 mystery thriller film ‘Silencio’ written and directed by Lorena Villarreal. Paez also appears in the 2021 horror film ‘The Exorcism of Carmen Farias.’ ‘The Mother’ sees Paez’s Zoe find her life in danger after she is targeted and kidnapped by Yenil Garcia, an associate of overlord Hector Álvarez (Gael García Bernal of ‘Station Eleven‘). Eventually, she is recused by The Mother and Agent Willaim Cruise (Omari Hardwick of ‘Army of the Dead‘).
During the rescue mission, The Mother explains her backstory as an army snipe who worked for arms dealer Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘). While working for Lovell, The Mother met Álvarez, and it is implied that she had a sexual relationship with both men. However, when Agent Cruise questions The Mother about Zoe’s biological father, she refuses to acknowledge either Lovell or Álvarez as her daughter’s father. Moreover, The Mother claims that Zoe is “her” child. Although the film does not give a definitive answer about Zoe’s biological father, The Mother rules out Álvarez shortly before killing him. However, when Lovell comes after Zoe, he refers to her as his daughter. The Mother does not respond to Lovell’s claims, seemingly confirming that he is Zoe’s biological father.
The Mother Gave Up Zoe Unwillingly
In ‘The Mother,’ the titular character is trying to cut a deal with the FBI for her soon-to-be-born daughter’s safety. The Mother was working with arms dealer Adrian Lovell and overlord Hector Álvarez but decided to turn on them after learning of their involvement in child trafficking. However, while The Mother is at an FBI safe house, she is attacked by Lovell and his men. While The Mother manages to hide, Lovell finds her and stabs her in the stomach with a knife. As a result, she faces complications during her delivery and barely manages to ensure her daughter, Zoe, is safely born.
After the order, Special Agent Williams visits The Mother and asks her to hand over the parental rights to her daughter. Williams explains that the enemies from The Mother’s past will never stop hunting her down. Moreover, they could try to harm her daughter to get revenge on her. Hence, it is in the newborn baby’s interest for The Mother to give her up. Willaims proposes erasing all records of the baby’s biological parents and giving her up for adoption. Thus, Zoe gets a new life and grows up with her adoptive parents. Furthermore, since her presence could jeopardize Zoe’s life, The Mother decides to stay away from her child for years until the latter’s life is in danger. Ultimately, the circumstances forced The Mother to give up her daughter unwillingly.
Read More: Is the Wolf in The Mother Real or CGI? What Does It Signify?
