MOTHERING SUNDAY: Memories in three times

Commentary by Sergio Martinez

Jane (Odessa Young) a
housemaid in the Niven's estate

Directed by Eva Husson and based on the novel by Graham Swift, Mothering Sunday tells the story of Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young), who is a housemaid. It is 1924, and she is working for the Nivens (Colin Firth and Olivia Colman). Like many people at the time, the Nivens are still suffering the emotional effects of having lost their son during the Great War.

Taking advantage of Mothering Sunday –a traditional English event– Jane uses her day off to spend the afternoon making love with Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor), a neighbour of the Nivens. Of all the young fellows in the county, Paul is one of the few who managed to survive the war. This has created a certain sense of survivor guilt and enhanced his sense of duty toward his family. Part of that duty would be to marry a woman of his own social standing. He also plans to become a lawyer. At the same time, however, Paul and Jane keep their secret love affair.

An unexpected turn of events that same day, when the two families were returning from an outing, would change things for Jane. A few days later, she would leave the county manor to work at a bookshop. That also takes us to a new moment in the story's time.

Jane has met Donald (Sope Dirisu), a philosopher who eventually encourages her to write. Donald is dying of cancer, and Jane would follow his advice and write. This leads us to the third moment in the narration, set in the 1980s, when Jane (in old age, played by Glenda Jackson) is being approached by journalists after winning a prestigious literary award. She doesn't seem much impressed; she has won numerous literary prizes.

Paul (Josh O'Connor) and Jane (Odessa Young)
have a secret love affair

Mothering Sunday provides us with a vivid portrayal of the young woman seeking sexual pleasure, and her standing naked in the room is a visual celebration of beauty. The cinematography, in this case, is crucial. However, everything seems to go too fast in the last two segments of these memories. The spectator never sees the development of the relationship with Donald or her transformation into a famous writer. All of that is compacted due to time requirements, leaving behind a sense of something missing.

Nudity and some sex scenes.

Duration: 104 min.