The Mother
2003 · 112 min · Director: Roger Michell
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Toots and May's marriage is one of Toots being dependent on his wife. Shortly after Toots and May arrive in London to visit with their grown children Bobby and Paula and their respective children, Toots falls ill and dies. Toots' death brings to the surface the underlying strain that has always existed between May and both of her two children, and the unhappy lives they have all led. Now specifically with Paula, May is disapproving of her relationship with a construction worker named Darren. Not only does May think his occupation makes him beneath Paula, he's also a married man. Darren is in an unsatisfying marriage but doesn't want to leave it if only because of his son. Even after May gets to know and like Darren, she still encourages Paula to break up with him. The issue is that May herself has fallen in love with Darren, the two who begin a sexual relationship. What will ultimately happen between May and Darren also depends on Darren, who is floundering in his own life and doesn't really know what he wants or even if he did how to get it. What will happen may also depend on Paula if she finds out what's going on.
Emotional fingerprint
The Mother (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Melancholy 35%, Empathy 25%, Sadness 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Melancholy35%
- Empathy25%
- Sadness20%
- Love10%
- Anxiety10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Melancholy, Empathy, Sadness. Genres: Drama, Romance. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Melancholy, Empathy and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 6.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 69/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Empathy | 27 % | 18 % | 5 % | 17 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Love | 35 % | 24 % | 14 % | 25 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Sadness | 51 % | 41 % | 36 % | 36 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Sadness | 60 % | 54 % | 50 % | 40 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Empathy | 57 % | 53 % | 45 % | 41 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 31′ | Empathy | 56 % | 53 % | 43 % | 39 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 36′ | Empathy | 54 % | 51 % | 40 % | 34 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Empathy | 46 % | 41 % | 28 % | 35 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Tension | 45 % | 39 % | 24 % | 34 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Empathy | 54 % | 50 % | 30 % | 26 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Love | 63 % | 56 % | 30 % | 28 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 64′ | Love | 64 % | 50 % | 23 % | 35 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 70′ | Love | 61 % | 46 % | 20 % | 38 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 76′ | Empathy | 59 % | 45 % | 26 % | 44 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 81′ | Tension | 60 % | 45 % | 35 % | 49 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Sadness | 68 % | 54 % | 49 % | 51 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 92′ | Tension | 79 % | 63 % | 61 % | 68 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Tension | 83 % | 66 % | 65 % | 73 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 104′ | Sadness | 77 % | 67 % | 63 % | 58 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 109′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Mother. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Paula
Helen
Au Pair
Estate Agent
Details
- Directed by
- Roger Michell
- Written by
- Hanif Kureishi
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2003
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Melancholy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
