Parent reviews for Mother (2020)

What I enjoyed in this film was how it portrayed that familial love can be truly unshakable, young Shuhei had multiple offers and opportunities to leave his mother and get a better life from the responsible adults in his life. However, he knew that if he had done so his mother would've likely ended up dead from her own mistakes and irresponsibility. As Shuhei's mother Akiko truly embodies the fable of "The Scorpion and the Frog". Insofar that Akiko can't help but make choices that negatively impact her and her son's life. At one point even leading to their being homeless and sleeping on the streets. In all of this Shuhei endures the hardship that his mother leads them to, and protects her even when she does not truly appreciate him. Not because he needs his mother to live or anything as she's actually holding him back from greatness, but because he knows that he alone is the only one who will ever love and care about his mother unconditionally. As even when Akiko's parents and sister disowned her, her son Shuhei was there for her every step of the way. I appreciated Shuhei's character greatly, as in my personal life I've had friendships that have ended over a petty argument. In the end this story truly followed the philosophy of "Show, don't tell" when it came to portraying unconditional love. I found this movie and its story very powerful, and it made me think about how few people in this world will still care about you even when you're an inconvenience to them.