ReganRebecca There's no getting around it, The Second Mother is just an excellent, excellent film, which cleverly balances multiple tones and issues while at the same time staying consistent, enjoyable and heartbreaking. The mother of the title is Val (a deglammed Regina Casé), a woman from rural Brazil who has spent the better part of her life as a combination of housekeeper and nanny to a wealthy family. Though she has a daughter of her own, for the most part she has spent her maternal feelings on Fabinho, the spoiled teenage son of her employers. When Val receives a call from her daughter, Jéssica, telling her that Jéssica intends to study for exams to become an architect, Val is thrilled and overwhelmed. She asks her employers (who also house her) if Jéssica can stay with her, and when they say yes she is hopeful that the mother-daughter reunion will go well. But Jéssica's arrival exposes the fact that for all her employer's posturing that Val is one of the family, she is actually subservient, having to obey various rules and codes that constantly put her in her place. And Jéssica's arrival completely throws off balance the simple life Val once led. To say more would be to spoil the movie, but Anna Muylaert is such an assured director and the way she handles her material is fresh and clever.

mila61 Great film and beautifully played by the main characters. I believe this is not just a social problem in Brazil, this is happening every were, every day, we just don't see it or we prefer to ignore it, since we are living in a privileged world, this story should wake us up, it's profound and touching, after the arriving of Val daughter Jessica, something is suddenly wrong in "paradise", the jealousy of the biological, superficial Mother is obvious, she doesn't realize that if you won't to harvest love and affection, you have to sow first, a great lesson has been shown here, real happiness lies in giving and receiving meaning unconditional Love

Reno Rangan Have I really watched a South American movie! This is not a doubt over the culture or the language the movie was rendered, but the basic plot was universally appealing. Wherever from you are, this story will look very familiar, you know the master-servant theme with jealous, dominance and other differences between them which intrigued after some unexpected incident. Don't assume it is a revenge flick, but a closer look at the daily life of a servant.It is a beautiful drama filled with some occasional dark humours. Frankly, I did not expect it to be this good after I heard it failed to make into the Academy Awards. Yep, this was Brasil's submission for the 2016's Oscars. A story of a live-in housemaid called Val. She opted this life to be apart from her daughter Jessica only to provide a better life for her. But things change, once Jessica decides to come and stay with her mother to apply for a college in Sao Paulo. That brings a complete chaos in the household due to the generation and the professional gap.It was a casual opening, like Val was doing her daily routine. This was a very calm part, the story that introduced everything without complicating, especially keeping in mind the second half narration. The movie also digs every detail very closely, like how a maid behaves when her owner is not around, individual relationship with everyone in the house including the other maids and their personal desires."She looks at everything. Looks like the president."Believe me, if you ever had one, probably you begin to think them now by remembering any strange incidents from the past like what might be the truth. It is not like accusing them for something, but you know, sometimes we forget we're the same other than a thin line between us called the social status. That's where this film hits you hard and makes you feel regret if you have ever done anything wrong without knowing.It was not like any other similar movies I have seen. There was only a small deviation, that's what it makes a special. Also, it was not completely a realistic boring drama if you're wondering about the pace. It was a steady tempo, but had the sufficient entertaining content, often makes us to guess the next scene and besides it had a tiny twist at the end. It was not a strong ending as one could have wanted, but it's the best one after the story took a turn in the final act.I don't know the cast or the crew, but the direction was top notch alongside the cast performances. Thankfully, it was not another sentimental drama with a struggling servant or the questionable relationship between a mother and her daughter. Very much within our perception like you know all this, but seeing it for the first time. The balance between everything was the best of it. Almost 80% of the movie were shot in a single location/house and a few outside clips as the story demanded.The Oscars might have rejected it, because there's only five slot and they found better five to fill the spot, but that should not be the reason you to skip this heartwarming movie from the country that hosting the next Olympic games. I feel this film is this year's 'Ida', unlike a nun's self-discovery before taking oath to the god, here a maid realises her mistakes and not being a good mother to her daughter which leads her to fix it by not repeating it. A movie that should be watched with the family, inviting housekeeper for the watch might help bond well. So definitely recommended, a highly recommended movie for the weekend gathering.8/10

Tom Dooley This is billed as a comedy and stars Regina Casé as the maid to a rich family in Sao Paulo. She has raised the families' son and takes care of everything for them from walking the dog, making the meals to trimming the hedge. Then her estranged daughter asks to come and stay and she is overjoyed having been separated for ten years.However, her daughter is a modern free thinker and just does not get the social divide that separates her and her mother from these rich folk and the inevitable clashes start from the get go.Now as a film on social commentary this is all straight forward and we don't really need to be told that money buys privilege. Whilst as a character piece it works a lot better with the various players establishing where they sit in the hierarchy of life and how that will affect those around them. It is a gentle film, not really a comedy, and will not tax you too much. Its original Portuguese title is "Que Horas Ela Volta?". Some have hailed this as a master piece and others have said it is pointless in that it brings nothing new. I found it to be enjoyable but not one I would rush out and buy – I rented this – but it's one that passes the time very agreeably and is far from being the land mark some have hailed it to be but is also far from being a lamentable waste of time.