By Will Barber Taylor

While at home in her apartment with her own mother in Spain, a woman gets a phone call from her six-year-old son, who’s on holiday in France with his father. Every parent’s nightmare ensues.

Parenthood, and in particular motherhood, are seen by society as sacred. They are integral to the human experience. Therefore, a film dealing with one of the worst things that could conceivably happen to a parent – the loss of a child – will always have an impact, especially if this occurs when you are separated from your child by distance. In this film, director Rodrigo Sorogoyen ramps up the tension from the very moment that the film begins. His use of close up shots and intense camera angles creates a claustrophobic atmosphere around the central character, played by the incomparable Marta Nieto, one of Spain’s finest actresses.

The combination of Nieto’s incredible skill and Sorogoyen’s forensic directing skills ensures that this film has a depth that is unlike any other you will likely see this year. This is demonstrated by Sorogoyen’s skill as a director combined with Nieto’s talent for turning small moments into incredibly dramatic turning points. The injection of energy and fear into this film is done with incredible precision and skill and both the film’s star and director must be applauded for it.

Mother is a film that will haunt you, as any film of this sort should do. It gives off a feeling of claustrophobia and rising panic from the beginning right to the end credits. Mother is a film that will stay with you for a long time after a viewing of it.