Mother and Child

Mother and Child (2009) is a quiet drama from Rodrigo García you can watch online on iFILM. Three women, strangers to one another, are bound by a single thread: adoption.

Karen (Annette Bening) has carried guilt for fifty years over the daughter she gave up at fourteen. Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) is a sharp, guarded lawyer who was herself adopted and keeps everyone at arm's length. Lucy (Kerry Washington) longs to adopt a baby of her own. Their stories drift toward each other slowly, with no melodramatic jolts. Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits round out the cast.

García films female grief in close-up and never raises his voice — a held look matters more here than any big scene. This one rewards patience and a taste for grown-up storytelling about motherhood and forgiveness. Stream Mother and Child online on iFILM.