yes, we know Mother’s Day was last Sunday but we still felt like celebrating the amazing mother daughter relationships that we have seen on screen.

maid (2021)

this 2021 drama series about a mother is a masterpiece, with Margaret Qualley shining in every frame as the stoic yet deeply passionate Alex. she will go to any lengths to protect her daughter, Maddy, played by Rylea Nevaeh Whittet, and give her a good life. the show will make you feel the highs and lows of Alex as if they were your own. this is hands down at the top of our recommendation list.

miss juneteenth (2020)

we all know how little miss sunshine won our hearts by making a commentary on the beauty pageants and how to be ourselves in the face of superficial standards of beauty. miss juneteenth ups the game by putting a beautifully conflicted mother-daughter duo in between the social complexities of a beauty pageant in hopes of winning a scholarship to college. there are arguments and fights but also love and warmth between the two leading ladies that definitely celebrates the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters.

little women (2019)

the beloved little women played by Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen are back with another brilliant adaptation by writer-director Greta Gerwig. but while previously, the mother of these strong sisters was side lined, the Gerwig adaptation creates a powerful retelling with the ever-amazing Laura Dern. In this adaptation, Marmee gives her daughters the space to dream and chase those dreams. Their journey will make you laugh, cry, and experience every emotion as they learn to live life with dignity instead of bowing to patriarchal social conventions.

brave (2012)

this 2012 animated movie won many hearts and gave us one of the strongest female characters and one of the most complex portrayals of a mother-daughter relationship: Queen Elinor and Merida. It shows that even when they are on opposite ends of an argument, they love each other. the journey that Merida forces herself on then directly leads to understanding each other and learning to respect each other.

turning red (2022)

turning red is arguably the best Pixar movie till this time. directed by Domee Shi, turning red is about a 13-year-old girl grappling with growing up while trying to live up to her mother’s expectations, ending up feeling ashamed for having thoughts and desires that her mother wouldn’t approve of.  it is a movie that very sensitively handles the mother-daughter relationship and explores Ming’s motivations behind what she expects from her daughter.

there you go guys! these were the movies that we thought portray the best of mothers and daughters with all its intricacies and complexities.

tell us what you watched with your mother or are planning to watch with her by tagging us @liveaastey.

until next time, take care.

live aastey,