From director Eva Husson and screenwriter Alice Birch, “Mothering Sunday” sees a woman experiencing — and then reflecting on — a pivotal day in her life. On Mother’s Day 1924, Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young), a housemaid with no family of her own, secretly meets with her lover Paul (Josh O’Connor), an upper class neighbor who is engaged to someone else. A new trailer for the film hints that this moment in her life stays with Jane for years, after she’s left her position and pursues her passion of writing as well as when she’s an old woman looking back on her past.
Jane and Paul have an undeniable connection, and palpable chemistry, but Jane seems to know they will never be able to cross the class divide and truly be together. She prepares herself for their eventual separation, hinting to her employer Mr. Niven (Colin Firth) that she’s interested in working in a bookshop. For her part, Mrs. Niven (Olivia Colman) encourages Jane to take advantage of her lack of family ties. “You have absolutely nothing to lose,” Mrs. Niven stresses. “That is a gift, and you must learn to use it.”
Later on, a slightly older Jane turns that fateful Mother’s Day into her “greatest book,” with the support of her new partner (Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù). Decades after that, the elderly Jane (Glenda Jackson) appears to still be haunted by that day in 1924.
“Mothering Sunday” premiered at Cannes this summer, and went on to screen at TIFF and BFI London Film Fest. It is based on Graham Swift’s best-seller of the same name.
“Shirley” and “Assassination Nation” are among Young’s other credits. Husson previously directed “Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story,” “Girls of the Sun,” and episodes of “Hanna.” Birch received an Emmy nod for her writing on “Normal People.” She won a Writers Guild Award for her work on “Succession” and a British Independent Film Award for penning the feature “Lady Macbeth.”
“Mothering Sunday” will have a one-week awards qualifying run in Los Angeles beginning November 17. It will open in New York and LA February 25, with a nationwide rollout to follow.
