Mother and Child

This subtle, under-the-radar drama focuses on three women dealing with issues of motherhood, abandonment, adoption, isolation, infertility and loneliness. These may be pretty heavy, Lifetime TV movie-favored topics, but the film never devolves into sentimentality or pathos. Both Naomi Watts and Annette Bening deliver flawless performances, but we were especially moved by the latter's portrayal of a 50-year-old woman consumed by the fact that she had to give up her baby at 14. From brittle and bitter she moves to open and able to smell the roses she so carefully prunes. This is not the case for Watts' lawyer character, who uses sex as escapism (who doesn't? but this case is a little different!). Unable to be close to anyone, she finds herself faced with a difficult decision. And just when all seems well (or well enough), fate steps in.