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      I'm Glad My Mother Is Alive

      2009 1h 30m Drama List
      92% 13 Reviews Tomatometer 55% 250+ Ratings Audience Score Thomas, a troubled teenager, is obsessed with tracking down his birth mother. After years of searching he finds her and her small child living alone in a suburb and begins a relationship with her which slowly drives him to an act of madness. Read More Read Less

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      I'm Glad My Mother Is Alive

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      Audience Reviews

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      saad k Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante - I'm Glad my mother is Alive - CATCH IT (B) Based upon a true story the movie revolves around a young guy who was given for adoption along with his brother by his callous mother. His obsession with his mother from being toddler till adulthood is explored in the movie. Even though she gave him up for adoption in age 5, he never forgets her and always keeps searching for her. And when he finds her it's really hard to determine what exactly goes in this troubled young mind. As he still crushes on his mother and treat her as the woman he is love with rather than a Mother. The taboo subject matter explored in very dark way. I don't know whether it was good thing or bad thing as director didn't push the envelope, because if he would have pushed the envelope it would have been ranked as one of the most indigestible movies of all time. Here the director played it safe, and didn't go deep within the young guy or even his mother's mind. The whole movie relies on Vincent Rottiers's creepiness. He truly excels in the movie as creepy, confused, and hot tempered jealous guy. I don't why but I really loved Christine Citti as the adoptive mother, she was soo maternal. Sophie Cattani played the role of the despicable mother to her acting capabilities. I think she could have been great but since there is no as such reason for her being a callous besides being pregnant at 17, she couldn't do anything else. On the whole, Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante is a good timepass movie about a subject matter no one wants to talk about Ever! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Apparently abandoning your children is bad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Very strange film, he has an Oedipus complex it seems. I enjoyed it and I honestly was caught off guard by the climax of the film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review walter m Based on a true story, "I'm Glad My Mother Is Alive" is an unsettling character study about Thomas(Vincent Rottiers) who we first meet as a young adult. He is recalling past memories, first as far back as he can at the age of 5 to the only memories he has of his birth mother, Julie(Sophie Cattani), who when confronted by social services, gives up him and his younger brother Patrick to a caring couple, Annie(Christine Citti) and Yves(Yves Verhoeven), who cannot have children of their own. By the age of 12(Maxime Renard), Thomas is starting to ask questions about his birth mother, especially after an exhausting swim with his father.(The moral of the story is to never try and keep up with the youngsters.) He is also getting into fights at school and is about to be sentenced to boarding school. A lot of that comes from his being conflicted with the love he has for his birth mother versus the possible reality of who Julie really is which frightens him. Some might say this adds up to a variation on the whore/madonna complex but it is not really that simple since she was still a teenager when she had Thomas and is still trying to figure things out. On the other hand, Patrick, now known as Francois, does not recall Julie at all and adjusts easier. In the end, there are no easy answers and no easy way of assigning blame. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Aussi hypnotisant que profondément troublant, le film trace avec brutalité et une cruauté assez directe le sujet de l'adoption d'un point de vue plutôt déprimant, mais également du point de la jeunesse tourmentée et profondément affectée, ce qui n'est certainement pas négligeable. Cette décision de se lancer sur un vaste sujet d'une manière aussi inattendue, à travers une belle maîtrise technique et plusieurs allez-retour fluides entre passé et présent, permettent aux différents acteurs de briller par leur intensité et leur réalisme. En découle un film semblant discret, mais fort puissant où l'on parvient en à peine 1 h 30 à exposer avec attention et minutie des circonstances ténébreuses qui, à défaut d'être pleinement obscurcient, laissent bien des questionnements en suspens, tout en gardant alerte la réflexion. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic Sophie Cattani as Julie takes us with her over several borders, and Vincent Rottiers as the latter-day Thomas is complete in his inchoate anger at fate. Jun 19, 2013 Full Review V.A. Musetto New York Post The narrative easily goes back and forth in time; despite its Oedipal subtext, it avoids exploitation. Stellar performances by Rottiers and Cattani help keep the movie on track. Rated: 3/4 Sep 2, 2011 Full Review Joe Dziemianowicz New York Daily News Miller gets points for using a bit of narrative sketchiness to good effect... Rated: 3/5 Sep 2, 2011 Full Review Blake Griffin We Got This Covered Titillating, thought-provoking, confidently made, involving and well-written and paced all accurately describe this wonderful film. Rated: 8/10 Nov 11, 2013 Full Review Alan Diment We Got This Covered Titillating, thought-provoking, confidently made, involving and well-written and paced all accurately describe this wonderful film. Rated: 8/10 Apr 21, 2013 Full Review Brent Simon Shockya.com A stirring French familial drama of simmering resentment, anchored by a searing performance from young Vincent Rottiers. Rated: B+ Oct 2, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Thomas, a troubled teenager, is obsessed with tracking down his birth mother. After years of searching he finds her and her small child living alone in a suburb and begins a relationship with her which slowly drives him to an act of madness.
      Director
      Claude Miller, Nathan Miller
      Screenwriter
      Alain Le Henry, Claude Miller, Nathan Miller
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 8, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $8.7K
      Runtime
      1h 30m
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