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      Mother of George

      R Released Sep 13, 2013 1 hr. 47 min. Drama List
      91% 45 Reviews Tomatometer 65% 500+ Ratings Audience Score Ayodele (Isaach de Bankolé) and Adenike (Danai Gurira) marry and start a new life. As months pass without a pregnancy, Adenike feels torn between her Yoruba culture and her new life in America, struggling to save her marriage. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 01 Buy Now

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      Mother of George

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      Mother of George

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      Critics Consensus

      Director Andrew Dosunmu's style takes some getting used to, but Mother of George compensates with powerful acting, a thoughtful script, and gorgeous visuals.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member The constant off center composition and frequently uneccessary close ups makes the movie annoying to watch it was also filled with near mediocre dialogue..and as a nigerian I believe some of the characters where not portrayed as they where to be although danai gave a lovely performance she wasn't exactly a Yoruba woman,her character was portrayed more northern than western (in behavior and mannerism) of the Nigerian culture. Good colors and a good choice of story,the dialogue was just not great. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Mother of George is a visually arresting film that captures the Nigerian culture in a western world. Director Andrew Dosunmu opens the film with a traditional Nigerian wedding, a profuse exhibit of joyous music, customary blessings and vestments bursting with dynamic colors. It is the union of Adenike (Danai Gurira) and Ayodele (Isaach De Bankolé), where within the wedding rituals and conversations you would appreciate the importance of respecting and preserving traditions in Ayodele's family. Family and guests anoint the bride with dollar notes, and Ayodele's mother Ma Ayo (Bukky Ajayi) gives her blessings, citing "Adenike, you and your husband, nothing will ruin you two. You will give birth to a son. You will give birth to a daughter too. You will give birth to twins as well." Soon Adenike is sitting the bedroom, while waiting for her husband to take her on their first night, she receives fertility beads from her mother-in-law. Along with it is a carrier that Ma Ayo used to carry her son on her back, asserting her demands again as she suggests that her daughter-in-law would carry her grandchild in it as well. The unborn grandchild is even given a name, George Babatunde Balogun. These opening ten minutes prepensely set the tone for the film, where fertility would be conceiving a breed of dilemma, turmoil and lies within the Nigerian family living in Brooklyn, as the newlyweds undergo a burdensome marriage that is not blessed with an offspring. Dosunmu's experience as a fashion creative director and photographer is definitely eminent in the film, adeptly translated into a richly textured story. Mother of George is visually exquisite, as Dosunmu weaves an array of exuberant colors, elaborate customs and still shots with off-centre framing into his film. I like the subtle yet absorbing soundtrack as well, from the faint Nigerian juju music in the background to the sound mix that helps build accentuations when needed. The filming is deliberately made to echo the characters' sense of dislocation. "I wanted to show a New York completely different from what you usually see. What I really love about it is that many immigrants have their own oases in this metropolis," Dosunmu who is an émigré himself shares (he moved to the city from Nigeria 18 years ago). He also explains that the camera follows Adenike in a way that is both claustrophobic and uncertain, with the intention to make the audience feel just like her. "We want to see more, but we can't, and that's how she feels; she wants more clarity, but she doesn't have the solution." The fertility drama is further accomplished with the profound acting, especially by the lead Gurira. The actress of Zimbabwean descent, known for her role in AMC's TV series The Walking Dead, is a treat to watch. Her stoic face shows us her adamant pursue to make her family complete, yet your hearts will be stolen when you watch her breaking down as she struggles to conform to tradition. Coupled with eloquent writing by Darci Picoult, and breathtaking cinematography by Bradford Young, who won Cinematography Awards at the Sundance Film Festival for his work on Pariah (2011), Mother of George and Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), Mother of George is evocative, equally stunning and heartbreaking to watch. It also co-stars Tony Okungbowa and Yaya Alafia. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Good movie aesthetic and cultural point of view. The film is a little sleepy, but has value. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A touching immigrant drama in which the camera loves foregrounding as much as it loves it's characters. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member While the script was uneventful and dialogue unrealistic, the cinematography featured in Mother of George is unforgettable, breaking all the rules in film, and is only sometimes frustrating. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a a very visually appealing film backed by a script full of hard choices and consequences. A Nigerian immigrant family finds deceit and discord as they try to mesh their culture with American culture and medical system. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Nijla Mu'min Bitch Media Director [Andrew] Dosunmu, who has an expansive photography background, makes a true art film in Mother of George and never strays from his directorial perspective to make things easy or predictable. Jan 20, 2021 Full Review Amy Taubin Film Comment Magazine Mother of George's unique visuals are not only ravishing, they are the keys to the movie's meaning. Aug 28, 2019 Full Review Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online Director Andrew Dosunmu (who directed Restless City two years ago) graciously helms screenwriter Darci Picoult's story of Adenike (Danai Gurira of The Walking Dead), a young Nigerian woman who's relocated from her native country to Brooklyn, New York... Rated: A Sep 6, 2017 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension Dosunmu and editor Oriana Soddu are clearly fans of Young's work as well, since they choose to let each shot linger. The film's laconic cadence is enchanting at first but eventually the pace begins to betray the thinness of the material. Feb 24, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Dosunmu's latest is an electrically photographed film, a vibrant collection of luscious imagery, which elevates an otherwise rigid, pared down narrative. Aug 28, 2019 Full Review John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) Has the advantage of novelty and authenticity, but Dosunmu's ellipitical and self-consciously tasteful approach robs the material of some of its power... Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 24, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Ayodele (Isaach de Bankolé) and Adenike (Danai Gurira) marry and start a new life. As months pass without a pregnancy, Adenike feels torn between her Yoruba culture and her new life in America, struggling to save her marriage.
      Director
      Andrew Dosunmu
      Executive Producer
      Laura Bernieri, Isaach de Bankolé, Saerom Kim, André Des Rochers
      Screenwriter
      Darci Picoult
      Distributor
      Oscilloscope Laboratories
      Production Co
      Maybach Film Productions
      Rating
      R (A Disturbing Image|Some Language|Sexuality)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 13, 2013, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 5, 2015
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $142.5K
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