THE LIGHTER SIDE

Four Mothers

DARREN THORNTON
Ireland, 2024
89 minutes, Color

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 London Film Festival, this Irish twist on the Italian hit Mid-August Lunch follows Edward, a shy, commitment-phobic gay novelist who cares for his elderly mother. Seemingly out of the blue, his novel starts to become popular with young readers in the United States, causing Edward to feel torn between his love and care for his mother and his desire to embark on this new and exciting phase of his life as a writer. When his three closest friends, desperate to feel young and carefree again, go off on an impromptu Pride holiday, they leave their aging mothers in Edward's care. With four stubborn individuals to look after and increasing pressure from his upcoming book tour, Edward must find a way to reconcile all four mothers and follow his passion in this delightfully heartwarming dramedy.—Various sources