This year, the Toronto International Film Festival is sharing stories about mothers from around the world, spanning genres from drama, to comedy, to horror. Here are 4 films I have seen so far at the film festival that deal, in some ways, with the mother’s journey, to maybe put a new film on your radar.

Seven Days

This has been one of my favourite films of the festival so far. It follows Maryam, an Iranian human-rights activist, who has been given a seven day medical leave from prison after bring imprisoned for 6 years. In these seven days, she is offered a way of escaping from Iran to reunite with her husband and children, now living in Germany, but struggles to decide whether leaving is what is best for her movement in Iran. She wants to show women that their options are not limited to only silence or leaving. The film is lead by the fantastic Vishka Asayesh, who so perfectly portrays the lost feeling of wanting to be with her children, while also wanting to continue to contribute the women’s movement at her home in Iran. There is a unique conversation here about a woman’s role in the home, and how the public perceives her when it seems like she is choosing work over her children, and how differently these conversations can go when a woman’s work is in a feminist and human-rights movement. On top of this, there is a stunning use of language, specifically Faarsi and German, to display, quite literally, the growing distance and loss of communication between Maryam, who only speaks Faarsi, and her children, who often speak together in German.

Nightbitch

If you were turned off by the thought of Nightbitch as a film after seeing the Hallmark-looking trailer, don’t be alarmed, this one is still worth watching. Based on the novel by Rachel Yoder of the same title, the story follows a mother who believes she is turning into a dog. Where the novel is quite nuanced, and is so internal in leaving a lot up to interpretation of readers, the film is very to-the-point. Topics include how much under appreciated work mothers do, how society lets men get away with when they become fathers, and how becoming a mother is such a violent act on the body that the woman is never the same. The whole turning into a dog part kind of ends up taking a backseat in the film, where is doesn’t in the novel, and the message is unfortunately painfully spoon-fed to us. It is a bit too on the nose for me, but has been translated for the screen into something much more digestible, and surprisingly funny, that is going to please most crowds. Our crowd was laughing out loud throughout most of the film, and gave Amy Adams a standing ovation (who is doing some of her best work here), so I definitely think this one will be enjoyed, and I am at least happy that these conversations are finally beginning to happen in films, and dramatic comedies at that.

The Courageous

The Courageous is directed by Jasmin Gordon and follows June, a single mother of three, Claire, Loïc, and Sami, as she struggles to work and provide for her children while also being the courageous mother they know her to be. Her past is difficult, and her future is always a point of tension, and due to the welfare situation that is no help to June or her family, things are tough. With a compelling portrayal of moral integrity, at the hands of a complex woman forced to make the wrong decisions for the right reasons, we watch her life from the point of view of her children, who are the only reason she has for anything. Gordon never presents June as a perfect person. She steals and she lies, and with snarky comments made to her ever relating to her past, it is clear to say she is far from one. Instead, we are always reminded of June’s identity as a mother. Everything we see her do, we can’t help but think of Claire, Loïc, and Sami, back home, waiting for their mother to return. June’s decisions are always presented in a way that understands that these last-resort decisions are for their own children’s well-beings, forced to steal and lie by a society who has turned the other way. Another one of my favourites at the festival this year, fans of The Florida Project find a new gem here.

Daughter’s Daughter

Taiwanese writer and director Huang Xi’s latest films takes us on a multi-continental journey. The film follows mother Jin Aixia, who lives in Taiwan and loses her daughter Fan Zuer to a car accident when Fan Zuer is in New York with her partner receiving IVF treatment. As she travels to America to deal with the aftermath, Jin Aixia must also face a new relationship with her other biological daughter, Emma, who she gave up for adoption when she was born. On top of all this, Jin Aixia must leave her own mother who she cares for back home, who is struggling with dementia. Daughter’s Daughter is a complex look at all the different ways we become mothers. It deals in part with grief, but also in how much mothers do for their children. When Jin Aixia is faced with the decision about what to do with Fan Zuer’s unborn child, and the idea of a grandchild comes into the mix, the story becomes one so personal, with Jin Aixia facing questions of carrying on life after another one was so violently taken from her. This was such a unique take on motherhood, portraying 4 generations of mothers and daughters on the screen together, with affecting reminders everywhere that every woman is someone’s daughter, and that person is wholly complex.

These films were screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Images courtesy of TIFF.