The Second Mother Poster

The Second Mother (2015)

Comedy  
Rayting:   7.8/10 13.4K votes
Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Release date: 10 September 2015

When the estranged daughter of a hard working live in housekeeper suddenly appears, the unspoken class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray.

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User Reviews

gulherme 10 February 2016

Que horas ela volta is one of the best magical realism movie from our time. The main argument of this movie is about social relationships, familiar and professional ones, and beyond a sociology analysis of Brazilian society.

The movie has a strong social message because is so close to the really, and so daily habits, we are used to social segregation in the same house, we forget it is so bad, and unfair with ourself. The movies leave us to think about basic things, for example, how different opportunities low and middle class has to access university, and how small habits can have a huge impact in the future.

The movies support his vision not in a philosophical phrases or beautiful quotes, but in reality, everything in the movie is so real and close to ourself that director don't need use Foucault or Marx text, he just show a mirror of the reality, and it is way this movies is about magical realism, but not realism magical. And it is why hurts.

t-dooley-69-386916 24 January 2016

Fmovies: This is billed as a comedy and stars Regina Casé as the maid to a rich family in Sao Paulo. She has raised the families' son and takes care of everything for them from walking the dog, making the meals to trimming the hedge. Then her estranged daughter asks to come and stay and she is overjoyed having been separated for ten years.

However, her daughter is a modern free thinker and just does not get the social divide that separates her and her mother from these rich folk and the inevitable clashes start from the get go.

Now as a film on social commentary this is all straight forward and we don't really need to be told that money buys privilege. Whilst as a character piece it works a lot better with the various players establishing where they sit in the hierarchy of life and how that will affect those around them. It is a gentle film, not really a comedy, and will not tax you too much. Its original Portuguese title is "Que Horas Ela Volta?". Some have hailed this as a master piece and others have said it is pointless in that it brings nothing new. I found it to be enjoyable but not one I would rush out and buy – I rented this – but it's one that passes the time very agreeably and is far from being the land mark some have hailed it to be but is also far from being a lamentable waste of time.

silvia_rm_sp 1 September 2015

A subtle look into the not very subtle work relations in Brazil, where slavery is all but truly abolished. After working for over 10 years both as nanny and housemaid to an upper middle class family in São Paulo, Val is supposedly regarded as one of the family, occupying, however, shabby and crammed quarters in the beautiful mansion of her employers. When the family agrees to welcome Val's daughter for a short time while she sits for college admission exams, everyone gets a lot more than they bargained for. The bright girl's presence will affect the whole household, putting to the test the politically correct attitude of the employers to their employees and making evident the full hypocrisy of the situation. The material director and screenplay writer Muylaert deals with is potentially both tragic and comic. She has wisely chosen comedy, but not the laughing out loud kind. This film will put a light smile on your face while making you a little uncomfortable at the same time, particularly if, like most Brazilians, you don't really see everyone in society exactly as your equal.

clarkj-565-161336 30 August 2015

The Second Mother fmovies. I believe this movie is an accurate depiction of a typical upper middle class or upper class Brazilian household. There is a clear and well defined divide between the haves and the have nots. Val the maid lives in a small room and comes from the impoverished North East of Brazil (just as former President Lula did!). I think the film maker wanted to paint a picture of stark contrasts, somewhat like a film version of Casa-Grande & Senzala by Gilberto Freyre (discussed the various classes and races in Brazil 1933). Although the mother was a pretty overbearing one percenter, I don't think she is unique and could be found anywhere! The father was pretty cool, absolutely nothing phoney about him, all up front. The movie presents the Vestibular University entrance exam system. The system does not distinguish applicants based on societal position. Also the best Universities are free, so we can all learn something from Brazil. Parabéns.

MikeyB1793 2 December 2015

Regina Case gives a heartfelt performance as the maid to a rich and rather snobby family – and as the mother to her long lost daughter. It is after the daughter reunites with the mother after a long ten year absence (not clearly explained) that the wheels of this film really start to churn to generate tension, but also immense warmth.

Even though the film does meander now and then – every scene with Regina Case as surrogate mother to her adopted household, especially the son, and the real mother of her daughter gives off an energy of feeling and vitality. It is beautiful to behold the radiation that emanates in all her scenes. And its' nice to walk out of a film with the milk of human kindness – a rarity these days.

jdesando 24 September 2015

For those of us who have known nannies, the easiest generalization we can make is it's too bad she can't be with her own children. Well. Anna Muylaert's Brazilian film, The Second Mother, shows what happens when nanny-housekeeper Val (Regina Case) in an upper-class Sao Paulo home has her estranged, grown daughter, Jessica (Camila Mardila), stay with her before Jessica takes her college exams.

The disappointment Jessica feels about her mother's subservient life seems natural enough given Jessica's ambition to be an architect. The real conflict is within Val's heart where Jess's openness with the family Val serves and their embracing her as an equal can't abide Val's lifetime of service, which teaches never to intrude, never assume a place at their table, never swim in their pool. All of which Jess gleefully does.

The remarkable character of this film is how it reflects the points of views of mom and daughter without judging the appropriateness of either position. Jess is often described as being snobbish and Val too easily cowed by the family. The film's generous heart allows enough time for each of the principals to grow in understanding the other.

The Second Mother spends too little time on the interpersonal relationships and ends without solid resolution of the characters' differences. What neither mom nor daughter seems to get is that the stark class divide in Brazil brooks no exceptions; in effect, Val will be stuck here for the rest of her life, and Jess will escape through education. The film seems to suggest that the upper-class Val serves is impenetrable except through marriage or education.

"Why do elites hate the poor? It's xenophobia. They don't know any poor people - except their off-the-books Brazilian nanny and illegal immigrant cleaning lady from Upper Revolta who don't speak English." P. J. O'Rourke

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