(You Are Not My Mother) centers on a teenage girl named Char (Hazel Doupe) whose mother, Angela (Carolyn Bracken) goes missing only to return with an increasingly frightening change in personality. She might look and sound the same, but Angela’s behavior has taken a dark turn, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. When Halloween arrives, Char realizes that she is the only one who can save her mother, even if it means potentially losing her forever.
Variety has reported that TIFF Midnight Madness selection You Are Not My Mother, the debut feature film from Kate Dolan has been picked up by Magnet Releasing for North America.
“’You Are Not My Mother’ is a fantastically realized journey into one’s most primal fear,” said Magnolia Pictures President Eamonn Bowles in a statement. “This is a spectacular directorial debut by Kate Dolan.”“I am delighted to be releasing ’You Are Not My Mother’ with Magnet Releasing,” said Dolan. “They are champions of distinctive genre film and great supporters of emerging talent. I am excited to continue our journey with the film with them.”
Our own Shelagh caught the film during TIFF. You will find her full review here but here are a couple excerpts that should give you an idea of what to expect.
Kate Dolan's feature debut You Are Not My Mother looks at what it means to be a mother, and a daughter, when violent, poverty, and isolation are daily facts of life. Combine this with some scary Irish folklore, and it's a terrific debut, a slow-burn horror of loneliness and fearful anticipation... Dolan's script moves slowly, but every shot and line of dialogue is methodical and deliberate. Each presents another layer to be peeled back, by both Char and the audience, as the contemporary and the folkloric meld together.
Magnet Releasing will release You Are Not My Mother next year.