‘Night, Mother

Based on Marsha Norman’s play, ‘Night, Mother follows Sissy Spacek’s Jessie Cates as she informs her mother (Anne Bancroft’s Thelma) that she’ll be committing suicide before the evening is out – with the movie detailing the heated, emotional discussion that ensues. It’s an inherently stagy setup that’s employed to erratic yet mostly compelling effect by Tom Moore, as the filmmaker, working from Norman’s script, delivers a sporadically claustrophobic drama that benefits substantially from its lived-in, authentic set design and absolutely phenomenal lead performances – with, in terms of the latter, Spacek and Bancroft stepping into the shoes of their respective characters to a degree that’s often nothing short of hypnotic. (And it doesn’t hurt, either, that the pair possess a palpable chemistry together, ie they feel like a real mother and daughter, that enhances the believable atmosphere.) And although the picture builds to an admittedly tense, shattering climax, ‘Night, Mother does suffer from a hit-and-miss midsection that ultimately diminishes its overall impact – with the end result is a decent-enough adaptation that generally works best as a showcase for the thoroughly engrossing efforts of its two stars.

*** out of ****