The uber-rich Esmeralda (Anette Michel) wakes up to a perfect breakfast––orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausages, and pancakes, adorned with a maple syrup smiley. Her three prim and proper kids wanted to make her feel special on Mother’s Day, and she does. That is, until she comes back to reality. Their ideal life is on the brink of a downward spiral. Her family is bankrupt. On the other side of town, Rosa (Leticia Huijara) watches her humble kitchen being wrecked by her son Emilio, and partner Jaime (Ignacio Guadalupe), as they scramble to whip a meal for her.
The lives of the two women get intertwined in the Spanish film, Mother’s Day is Cancelled, when Esmeralda’s son Manuel marries Rosa’s daughter Lidia (Gala Montes), and they have to go for a big luncheon together. While the stage is set for a tale of class resentment and ego clashes, the film surprises by not taking the easy and expected route of pitting the two mothers against each other.
Written by Adriana Pelusi, Ricardo Avilés, El Huevo Charlie Barrientos, it follows the familiar beats of a narrative on dysfunctional families with secrets to hide. There is the expected mayhem and madness, but it is the ingenuity of the dynamics between characters that ensures we stay along for the ride. The makers have given each person a peculiarity that is fleshed out with nuanced arcs. Points to the writers for coming up with witty dialogues that the actors deliver with great impact.
True to its genre, there is much chaos and euphoria as the film moves from one incident to another. Ultimately, it tries to drive home the age-old moral of how peace and joy lies in being able to love one’s family. The means to this end, not surprisingly, is just about engaging. The makers also manage to slip in a poignant moment or two to great effect, making it just the film to watch with your mother.
Film: Mother’s Day is Cancelled
Director: Javier Colinas
Genre: Romantic comedy
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Language: Spanish
Rating: 3/5 stars