The Mother and the Bear

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The Mother and the Bear

Jan 2026

1h 40m

Drama

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

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19 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Sara is shocked to find her daughter has fallen into a temporary comma after a late-night slip on ice. Sara, travelling over 9000 kilometres, finds herself in the harsh, unfamiliar, and unforgiving environment of Winnipeg in the winter.

Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

3d

While not everything clicks in The Mother and the Bear, the film will keep you warm enough during the dark days of winter.

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Brandon Yu

New York Times

Jan 2

The film, directed by Johnny Ma, bears a bit of charm, but a lot more bland earnestness. It treads ultimately familiar ground around immigrant dissonances between parent and child and the struggle to express love and acceptance.

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Ritesh Mehta

IndieWire

09/16/2024

B

Ma directs Kim with remarkable clarity in his third feature, a stylistic and thematic departure from his previous work, which includes 2016’s psychological thriller Old Stone and the more recent To Live To Sing.

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Randall King

Winnipeg Free Press

2d

3.5/5

Winnipeg can look pretty bleak on film, but Briones, outsider though he may be, proves adept in finding the visual magic of this godforsaken place.

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Bobby LePire

Film Threat

2d

9/10

The Mother And The Bear is a very different spin on the romantic comedy and self-actualization tale. By combining the two, Johnny Ma creates a distinct and engaging story.

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Eric Marchen

Rogers TV

2d

B-

An eccentrically wistful winter tale takes some time to warm up, melting traditional climate and cultural shock to find its own unique bearings.

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Andrew H

@haus_of_H Jan 4

Charming, strange and ultimately quite heartwarming. Anchored by a strong central performance and some unusual and interesting directorial choices. Incredible score.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jan 1

Funny in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

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Johnny Ma

Director

Kim Ho-jung

Sara Kim

Lee Won-jae

Sam

Jonathan Kim

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Synopsis

Sara is shocked to find her daughter has fallen into a temporary comma after a late-night slip on ice. Sara, travelling over 9000 kilometres, finds herself in the harsh, unfamiliar, and unforgiving environment of Winnipeg in the winter.

Director: Johnny Ma
Producer: Niv Fichman, Juan de Dios Larraín
Screenwriter: Johnny Ma
Distributor: Dekanalog
Production Co: Rhombus Media, Thin Stuff Productions, Fabula
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 2, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 40m