We really can’t recommend this movie enough.
Initially released in cinemas in March of this year, in the time since then, we’ve been thinking long and hard about it… Our initial review of You Are Not My Mother called it “arguably one of the best Irish movies of all time“, but we’re removing the qualifier.
This is the best Irish horror movie ever made.
Admittedly, the genre of horror set within Ireland isn’t exactly overflowing with options, but there have been some great entries: The Hole In The Ground, The Canal and The Cured all immediately come to mind (and all are available to rent on Rakuten TV right now).
But we’ve got to give it to You Are Not My Mother for mixing some very relatable and familiar topics with an otherworldly horror.
We chatted to the movie’s writer and director Kate Dolan and star Carolyn Bracken, and you can check out that interview in full right here:
In terms of plot, the story revolves around Char (Hazel Doupe), a teenage girl in North Dublin City, who lives at home with her grandmother Rita (Ingrid Craigie), and her mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken), who has recently been bedridden with a bad bout of what appears to be extreme depression.
One day, Angela goes missing, her car found empty in the middle of a nearby field. Worried sick, the family call the police, but Angela suddenly reappears, happy and apparently with no memory of ever being missing. But Char is convinced something has happened, and that there is something wrong with her mother…
Right from the nail-biting opening sequence – no spoilers, but it involves a newborn baby, a pram, and an empty street – all the way through to the hands-over-your-eyes finale, the movie digs its nails in and doesn’t let go until the end credits start to roll.
You Are Not My Mother is available to watch on Netflix right now.
Clip via Magnolia Pictures
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
