Mother of George (Nigeria / US, 2013)
Link to film (BU Login only)
Note: this film may be available via Kanopy through your public library.
Adenike and Ayodele (The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira and veteran actor Isaach De Bankolé) are a Nigerian couple living in Brooklyn. Following the joyous celebration of the their wedding, complications arise out of their inability to conceive a child - a problem that devastates their family and defies cultural expectations, leading Adenike to make a shocking decision that could either save her family or destroy it. Acclaimed director Andrew Dosumnu (Restless City) captures the nuances of this unique and fascinating culture by creating a beautiful, vibrant, and moving portrait of a couple whose joys and struggles are at once intimate and universal.
(107 minutes)
Further Resources:
- [Review] A Marriage, a Mother, a Move from Culture to Culture, by Tomas Hachard. NPR Sept. 12, 2013.
https://www.npr.org/2013/09/12/221437139/ a-marriage-a-mother-a-move-from-culture-to-culture - [Video] Interview with Andrew Dosunmu - Painting With Film (The Mother of George)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyduOn0XTwk - [Video] Anatomy of a Scene: Mother of George (The director Andrew Dosumnu narrates a sequence from his film.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3yojJ5jQGE
Discussion Questions
- First impressions of this film? Did you like it?
- Was there a message behind this film? What was it?
- Thoughts about the use of music and cinematography. Did they add or detract from the film?
- For language learners/speakers: were there any cultural or language cues that non-Nigerians might miss?
- Thoughts on the use of language (English vs. Yoruba) and how/when it was used?
- Was Danai Gurira (a Zimbabwean-American) convincing in the role of Adenike?
- Were the subtitles fairly accurate?
- What are your thoughts about the women in the film? Their relationship to each other and to men? Social roles & expectations? What does it mean to be a woman in that society?
- What are several tensions that Ayodele and Adenike had to struggle with in their relationship?
- How did you feel about the ending of the film? What do you think is happening in that last scene? What might be going through Ayodele's mind as he follows the doctor in that closing shot?
Characters (for reference)
Adenike - protagonist, wife (recently married and trying to conceive)
Ayodele - protagonist, Adenike's husband
Ma Nike - Adenike's mother
Ma Ayo - Ayodele's mother (matriarch of the family & anxious for a grandson)
Biyi - Ayodele's younger brother who shares in his restaurant business
Sade - Biyi's girlfriend and Adenike's worldly-wise friend and confidante
