Comic-Con coverage on Spout
Advertisement

Mother of Mine
  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rate this movie.

Buy it now on DVD
Starting at $15.22

Rent it, watch it, find it

Advertisement

Directed by Klaus Härö.
The plight of displaced Finnish children sent to Sweden and Denmark to escape the horrors of World War II are explored in director Klaus Härö's tale of a young boy failing to adapt to his strange, and sometimes harsh, new surroundings. Following the death of his father, nine-year-old Eero (Topi Majaniemi) is sent by his mother to live with a foster family in rural Sweden for the duration of the war. Eero is begrudgingly accepted by a surrogate mother who had been hoping for a young girl to help with the chores, and he's mocked by his classmates for his frightened reaction to passing planes. Eero's already troubled childhood is further complicated when his resentful foster mother takes it upon herself to act as a filter for his mother's incoming letters. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
[more]

Reviews and discussions

Write a review

JimBellJimBell Top Ten Movies I've Seen This Y ...
by JimBell in JimBell Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"These are the top ten films I’ve seen at the mid-point of the year. I think it is a good idea to post a semi-annual list because instead of complaining about mundane theatre offerings the list confirms that there are enough excellent films out there to watch. In no particular order: Mother of Mine (2005; Finland/Sweden)—A young Finish boy is torn from his family by WWII and later in life comes to terms with both of his mothers and how they treated him. Gone Baby Gone (2007)-- Dennis Lehane, the author of the novel on which the movie is based, says that we as a society have not figured out how to protect our children. The search for a missing little girl dramatizes his concern. 51 Birch Street (2005; documentary)—Doug thought that in his parents’ marriage, his mother was the loving and approachable one and his father was remote and cold, but when Doug’s mother died and his father quickly married his former secretary, everything Doug thought he kno ... " [More]
JScottJScott Mother of Mine
by JScott in JScott Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Mother of Mine is a film that focuses on the unseen impacts of war. Eero [Topi Majaniemi] is a Swedish child sent to live in Denmark after his father dies in the war and his mother gives up on life. He is taken in by a mother who isn't excited to have him and a father who wants nothing more than for Eero to be able to adapt and thrive. He takes Eero to school where they call him the "war child" which is all he knows about his identity anymore. It takes over his life. All he imagines are air raids.Every actor in this film is much more than capable. Personally I think the acting is the biggest strength of the entire film. Klaus Haro mixes the strength of the acting with the natural beauty and depth of the Finnish landscape.I am in the camp of people who believe the flash forwards take away from the film more than they add. I think the story would flow better and perhaps have more impact if it weren't for the disjointed feeling the flash forwards evoke.I thin ... " [More]
JimBellJimBell Mother of Mine
by JimBell in JimBell Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Mother of Mine (2005) is excellent—a moving story and a sophisticated theme, and great acting to convey them. You’ve got to feel for a 9-year old whose happy existence is torn apart by the war—his father dies in battle, his mother gives him up (maybe needlessly) to be whisked away to safe Sweden where he encounters a “foster mother” who doesn’t want him. Through these trials, the boy is not pathetic but rather a feisty kid determined to have an impact. He tries to assure his mother that he can fix the war-damaged house, he builds a raft and tries to sail back to Finland, and, central to the film, he settles on a way of related to his two mothers (not to trust either of them). The acting ensemble is the best I’ve seen since 3:10 to Yuma last year. Young Eero (Topi Majaniemi) never over acts and manages to project a jejune masculine determination throughout. His Swedish “foster father” (Martin Nyqvist) establishes a natural relati ... " [More]
DemndiaryDemndiary Performance Over Setpieces
by Demndiary in Demndiary Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Klaus Haro's Mother of Mine is a bittersweet drama about a Finnish war child’s childhood in Skane, Sweden. Eero is sent to Sweden to protect him during WWII and the consequences haunt him and his mother throughout his adulthood. The film portrays that same alienation of a stranger in a strange land as seen in Sweet Land. Mother of Mine is filled with amazing performances. Eero (Toni Majanuemi) is cold and lonely, and hard to reach yet still exhibits the innocence of youth. Signe Jonsso (Maria Lundqvist) performs well beyond her character. She is resentful of Eero and hides her secret why, but when she opens up is a loving mother without blinking. Michael Nyquist’s Hjalmar is a friendly father and male role model for Eero. He is a friend before father and humanizes the unusual situation. Majaana Maijala’s Kirsti, Eero’s Finnish mother, is stiff and seems directionless with a role that does not encompass the entire story. Haro se ... " [More]
QFLWQFLW Tug of War
by QFLW in QFLW Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Mother of Mine [Äideistä parhain]Directed by Klaus Härö; based on the novel by Heikki HietamiesThe title and cover picture had me wondering if this was going to be some man’s soppy paean to his mama. But no, it turned out to be a quiet yet quite affecting story about a Finnish boy, Eero Lahti, one of many Finnish children sent off to Sweden during World War II for safekeeping. Told in retrospect from middle age, after Eero’s Swedish foster mother has died, the film’s overall theme is of finally coming to terms with painful, conflicting emotions of the past and with the well-meaning but wounding mistakes both his mothers made.Eero’s father is killed in the war, leaving Eero’s mother Kirsti too distraught and worried about Eero’s safety to cope. It appears to Eero as if his mother has lost interest in him and abandoned him to strangers. When he finally arrives at his assigned home in Sweden, his surrogate mother Signe J&oum ... " [More]
erico_77375erico_77375 This Mother Missed a Few Spots
by erico_77375 in erico_77375 Blog
is neutral about it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"It seems quite disproportionate that many of the films on World War II either deal with the combat or the Holocaust. Not saying that these aren’t important subjects, but there were other people who have had their personal worlds torn apart with strife, such as the characters in Director Klaus Haro’s Mother of Mine. It deals with the subject that The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe somewhat tackles but without much teeth, child relocation during the bombing campaigns. There are several differences in the two stories. In this one, it’s the Allies that are bombing Nazi-supporting Finland. And then there’s the most obvious difference, there’s no wardrobe, no Narnia, and no need for either. The film tells the story of young Eero (Topi Majaniemi), whose mother sends him to neutral Sweden when the bombings almost promise death to the young. He’s not very happy about the situation, already reeling from the loss of his father. He’s sent to the hom ... " [More]
cspraguecsprague Mother of Mine
by csprague in Spout Mavens
hasn't rated it.
"Mother of Mine Directed by Klaus Härö. The plight of displaced Finnish children sent to Sweden and Denmark to escape the horrors of World War II are explored in director Klaus Härö's tale of a young boy failing to adapt to his strange, and sometimes harsh, new surroundings. Following the death of his father, nine-year-old Eero (Topi Majaniemi) is sent by his mother to live with a foster family in rural Sweden for the duration of the war. Eero is begrudgingly accepted by a surrogate mother who had been hoping for a young girl to help with the chores, and he's mocked by his classmates for his frightened reaction to passing planes. Eero's already troubled childhood is further complicated when his resentful foster mother takes it upon herself to act as a filter for his mother's incoming letters. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide " [More]
HairyLimeHairyLime Mother of Mine
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog
is neutral about it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Last fall, we hosted a German Exchange Student in our home for two weeks. The first half of the period was extremely uncomfortable, for both us and for the student (and we're talking high school age here), both in the language and communication shortcomings, the cultural differences, and on our part, the feeling of our home being invaded by a stranger, and I'm sure on her part, the feeling of loneliness and disconnect from her own home and parents. But surprisingly, we managed to find common ground and understanding, and we were actually quite sad to see her go when her two weeks were up, having grown quite fond and used to her presence. Watching 'Mother Mine' this evening brought many of those feelings and recollections back to me as I was transported back to Sweden during WWII and the story of a small Finnish boy transplanted to a reluctant Swedish farm family, and the conflicts that arise when (eventually) the chilly reception melts and the inevitable parental bo ... " [More]
 



Community ratings

mavens
Spout mavens
are neutral about it.
most people
Most people
are neutral about it.

Other opinions

JimBell
JimBell
loved it.
Demndiary
Demndiary
liked it.
JScott
JScott
liked it.