The Mother and the Bear

Play trailer

The Mother and the Bear

Jan 2026

1h 40m

Drama

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Sara is shocked to find her daughter has fallen into a temporary coma 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

Jan 8

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Valerie Kalfrin

AWFJ.org

Jan 29

A frosty relationship between an overbearing mother and her daughter thaws in unexpected ways. This is a midlife coming-of-age story about a reluctant woman who comes to see her daughter in whole new light.

Go to Full Review

Randall King

Winnipeg Free Press

Jan 10

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.

Go to Full Review

Bobby LePire

Film Threat

Jan 10

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

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.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Johnny Ma

Director

Kim Ho-jung

Sara Kim

Lee Won-jae

Sam

Jonathan Kim

Min

Susan Hanson

Minji

Samantha Kendrick

Dr. Jennie

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

99%

94%

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Stationed at Home

%

100%

Stationed at Home

Watchlist

If That Mockingbird Don't Sing

%

%

If That Mockingbird Don't Sing

Watchlist

The Marching Band

95%

96%

The Marching Band

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Marching Band

My Dead Friend Zoe

94%

95%

My Dead Friend Zoe

Watchlist

TRAILER

for My Dead Friend Zoe

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Sara is shocked to find her daughter has fallen into a temporary coma 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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings