You Are Not My Mother – TIFF21

A teenage girl becomes disturbed by the sudden change in the personality of her mother in You Are Not My Mother. Char (Hazel Doupe) is a North Dublin teenager, whose depressed mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken) suddenly vanishes, worrying Char, her grandfather Rita (Ingrid Craigie), and uncle Aaron (Paul Reid). However, Angela suddenly reappears in the middle of the night, but there is something much different about her. Char soon comes to learn that the sudden change in her mother might have something to do with an incident that happened when she was a child.

You Are Not My Mother is an Irish folk horror film by writer and director Kate Dolan. At the centre of the story is Char, a teenage girl who is the victim of bullying a school, while also being concerned about the mental health of her mother Angela. However, after going missing for a day, Angela suddenly has a noticeable change in personality, which initially seems like it could be for the better, but Char begins to notice behaviours that are almost disturbing. As Halloween approaches, the true nature of Angela's changes becomes much more apparent.

While the film does have an interesting premise the combines the changes in personality that come from mental illness with Irish folklore, You Are Not My Mother is marred somewhat by its slow pace and somewhat unsatisfying payoff. The film also has a very grating subplot, involving Char being a victim to a group of bullies, lead by the very sociopathic Kelly (Katie White), which feels really out of place in the film, other than to establish a secondary antagonist for Char. Ultimately, You Are Not My Mother is a fine folk horror tale, but it doesn't leave much of a lasting impression.

You Are Not My Mother is screening as part of Midnight Madness at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival

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