By Darlene
Donloe
In Mother of George (Oscilloscope) Danai Gurira (Michonne from AMC’s The WalkingDead) plays a newlywed who is getting pressure from her mother-in-law to have
a son.
Gurira plays Adenike
and Isaach De Bankole plays Ayodele, a newlywed Nigerian couple living in
Brooklyn who can’t seem to conceive a child. It devastates their family and
defies cultural expectations.
DANAI GURIRA
After trying for
what seems forever and enduring the scorn and disappointment of her mother in
law and other’s within a close knit African community, Adenike (Gurira), at the
behest of her mother-in-law, does the unthinkable.
Although she
regrets what she’s done, the ripple effects of her actions become
life-changing.
Mother of George is a thought-provoking, sensitive and moving
second feature by Andrew Dosunmu (Restless
City).
The story is
slow in developing, but once it finds its rhythm its intoxicating to watch.
Gurira gives a
steady, gut-wrenching performance as does the rest of the cast which includes Yaya DaCosta Alafia, Tony Okungbowa, Bukky Ajayi and Angelique Kidjo.
The film, which
features work by cinematographer Bradford Young (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), premiered to critical acclaim at the
2013 Sundance Film Festival (U.S. Dramatic Cinematography Award), and made its New York premiere at the
BAM Cinemafest.
DANAI GURIRA and ISAACH DE BANKOLE
The film was written by Darci Picoult,
and produced by Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy of Parts & Labor (Cold Weather,
Beginners, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) and Matt Parker & Carly Hugo (Restless
City, Higher Ground) along with Picoult, Chris Maybach, Saemi Kim and
Okungbowa. Executive producers include: Saerom Kim of Maybach Film Productions;
Ron Simons of SimonSays Entertainment; Jerry Tankersley, Laura Bernieri &
Joseph Sorrentino of Fried Alligator Films and Rhea Scott & Fady Salamé.
Running Time: 107 Minutes
On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother),
O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E (excellent), Mother of George gets an E (excellent).
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