The trailer that I present to you today is also linked to the Oscars; Our Mothers is actually the Belgian submission for the International Feature Film Oscar.
To be honest, the choice of this movie came as a total surprise, not only for Belgian movie viewers but also for critics everywhere in general. Many had expected that my country would have chosen Young Ahmed by the Dardenne brothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne), which won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival of this year. The movies by this duo - usually social dramas - are quite successful, especially with the critics and at film festivals.
But critical success does not automatically guarantee an Oscar nomination. In the past, Belgium did submit movies by the two brothers (for the International Feature Film Oscar) and none of them actually got nominated, let alone shortlisted. Is this the reason why this year we chose another movie by another director? Mind you, Our Mothers by Guatemalan director Cesar Diaz, who also wrote the screenplay, didn't go unnoticed at the Cannes Film Festival either. It won the Camera d'Or, the award for the best first feature film. Is this the movie that will give Belgium another (long-awaited) Oscar nomination? Or at least get us shortlisted?
I have to admit that when I saw the trailer I was moved and intrigued... Anyway, let's have a look at the plot: Our Mothers deals with the aftermath of the civil war in Guatemala, instigated by the military, that ravaged the country. The main character is Ernesto, an anthropologist who works for the Forensic Foundation; he actually has to identify the remains of the missing. Then one day, he becomes more personally involved when he thinks he has found a lead to his missing father, a guerrillero who disappeared during the war. He starts digging in the past, against the wishes of his mother.
The last days I have been nosing around on the internet and it looks like Our Mothers has received mixed reviews. Although critics find the story interesting, most of them agree that the screenplay is too simplistic. And we can't deny that the screenplay is the heart of the movie. The question is, of course, how (and if) the critics' reaction will influence the Academy. We also have to take into account that movies dealing with (civil) war and/or the aftermath of war usually do quite well with the Oscars. Anyway, on December 16 we will know if the movie is shortlisted; for the nominations, we will have to wait until January 13.
Let's get this out of my system, shall we? Go, Belgium, go! Anyway, here is the trailer:
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