There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. – Jill Churchill
On a weekend where we celebrate the moms in our lives comes a film that speaks to mothers and daughters, right where they’re at. Girl In Progress opens in theaters nationwide on May 11th, perfectly timed for Mother’s Day weekend, and at the heart of the film is a story about the complex relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter.
Grace (Eva Mendes) is a single mom living in Seattle, preoccupied with everything but her teenage daughter, who desperately wants and needs her mother. Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) is mature-beyond-her-years, most likely due to the fact that her mother is emotionally and often physically absent from her life. When Ansiedad is introduced to classic coming-of-age stories by her teacher Ms. Armstrong (Patricia Arquette), she decides to stage her own plan to accelerate the process of growing up.
Inherent in any coming-of-age story are the internal battles that sometimes lead to poor decision making. Ultimately, the individual grows up wiser…insightful…changed. In the film, Ansiedad stages her coming-of-age journey to include a series of “bad girl” behaviors. Her plan seems innocent enough until her actions begin hurting those around her, including her best friend Tavita (Raini Rodriguez). Meanwhile, Grace is completely oblivious to her daughter’s plan, chocking her behavior up to simply being a teenager.
Despite the fact that the film depicts a single mother/daughter relationship, it speaks volumes for and about that unique bond. The film’s target audience is narrow (mothers and daughters), however, I imagine the film will begin to open up the lines of communication between mothers and daughters regardless of their age. Moms of teens and tweens can utilize the time spent watching the film, to fuel the conversation about relationships and the challenges of growing up. The film touches on friendship, love, honesty, self-esteem, academic success, eating disorders and substance abuse, all of which defines the struggles experienced during the teen and tween years.
Even the title of the film depicts the fact that both mother and daughter are “in progress” and imperfect. As heavy as the end of the film is, there is redemption and moms and daughters will come away hopeful and inspired to continue or begin to dialogue.
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to screen the film, courtesy of Lionsgate.
Photos: Lionsgate
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