Buenas noches, madre

It's gut wrenching, incredibly sad, funny in a few parts and completely shocking. I first saw this movie in my early 20's and it had a profound effect on me. I do not watch it much because it is very, very deep and extremely, depressing.

Jessie Cates, played by Sissy Spacek, is a middle-aged, epileptic living with her mother. She has had a traumatic, divorce in her past and a wayward son headed for prison. Due to her illness, she can't drive or hold down a job and has no hopes that anything will get better for her. Jessie, has after years of contemplating suicide, finally picked the night to do it. She has organized her personal belongings and put everything in order. Now, all she has to do is tell her mother.

Anne Bancroft, plays Jessie's mother, the blissfully ignorant, Thelma Cates. Who by her own description, is "a plain, old, country woman" who "just really doesn't think there's all that much to things". She is caught totally off guard when her daughter tells her, she is planning to kill herself that night. Momma Cates is so blatantly unaware that her daughter is unhappy that she even tells her where the gun is before asking why.

The subject matter and the way it's presented is so thought provoking that one doesn't even take notice of the fact that almost this entire movie consists of basically only two actresses.

I highly recommend this movie, just don't expect a happy ending.

"'Night Mother" is a film for those who appreciate a good, thought provoking drama. Anne Bancroft, the Italian/American actress from NYC plays a Southern woman with gusto. Sissy Spacek as her daughter is excellent as a woman who has had enough of life & has decided to end hers. It's hard to decide who you feel more sorry for. My heart tends to go out more to the Bancroft character because Spacek's character has finally found some peace with her decision to end her life. This movie is very intense & the music on the soundtrack is beautiful & adds to it's emotional impact.

Marsha Norman's play was gripping and harrowing on Broadway and while Director Moore opens it up as much as possible without losing the repartee, it is still a filmed stage play -- but one that packs every bit of the emotional wallop it did on the stage. The acting is marvelous and pulls no punches. Bancroft is almost unrecognizable, in a good way, completely immersing herself in the energetic mother character. Spacek is completely believable as the determined daughter. This is a true clinic in two-person character study acting.

This film is an adaptation of a play - and it shows. It all takes place in one small house, and there are really only two characters, Jessie and her mother. Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft do an incredible job in their respective roles. The writing is fantastic. Jessie is intent on killing herself, and tells her mother what she is planning, in order to explain herself. Her mother, of course, is appalled, and struggles to convince her to change her mind, and also to try to understand why Jessie wants to do something so drastic and final. Both roles are emotionally laden, and extremely well-drawn. The result is a film that is complex, interesting, sometimes funny, and heart-wrenchingly sad. It is, no doubt, a tear-jerker, but it is well worth seeing.

I loved this movie. I caught it this morning and I was glued to the TV from the first minute. The two main actresses did a wonderful job, you don't doubt their performance for one minute. Everything seemed so real, the set could have been any house in the mid-west. This is definitely a movie that sticks with you long after the movie ends. I can't believe this movie isn't more well known and celebrated. Though I rarely watch movies a second time this is one I want to add to my collection to watch again and again. I think every time I watch this it will touch me in different ways. The story is so rich with detail, it feels as if you know the characters. A very moving, thought provoking, touching film you won't want to miss.