f youâre in the mood for a compelling period drama, I have some good news for you. Olivia Colmanâs heart-wrenching film Mothering Sunday has just landed on a free UK streaming platform, and it could be one for your watchlist this week.
Starring Josh OâConnor, Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, the 2021 historical drama follows Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young), a young maid who has fallen into a secret love affair with her next door neighbourâs son Paul Sheringham (OâConnor).
Set in the Roaring Twenties, the film is directed by French filmmaker Eva Husson (Girls of the Sun), written by Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) and adapted from the 2016 novella by Graham Swift.
Downton Abbey fans will love this one. Not only does it boast a stellar cast led by British acting royalty Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, but it also earned Colman a nomination for British/Irish Actress of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards in 2022. Plus, it has just landed on Channel 4âs streaming service, making it free to watch in the UK for the next 30 days.
© Alamy Stock PhotoMothering Sunday Rotten Tomatoes score
The film was a hit with critics, who gave it a 77% combined score on Rotten Tomatoes. In its four-star review, The Guardian wrote: âAlice Birchâs finely wrought script does an impressive job of capturing Janeâs emergent literary powers, allowing her creative abilities to grow organically on screen across disparate time periods.â
Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail said: âMothering Sunday, a heart-wrenching drama directed by Eva Husson and based on the novel by Graham Swift, shows that people are more than what they do. They are also the sum of their traumas.â
The Times added: âThe drama is so strong, Hussonâs direction so assured and Youngâs performance (mostly) so commanding â it really is one of the yearâs big âuns â that the film could feature cameo turns from the Boss Baby and the cast of Cats and youâd still accept it as a thoughtful and deeply affecting meditation on the loneliness of the lifelong writer.â
© Alamy Stock PhotoWhat happens in Mothering Sunday?
Set in 1924, the film charts the story of housemaid Jane, who finds herself alone on Motherâs Day.
The synopsis continues: âHer employers, Mr. and Mrs. Niven, are out and she has the rare chance to spend quality time with her secret lover.
âPaul is the boy from the manor house nearby, Janeâs long-term love despite the fact that heâs engaged to be married to another woman, a childhood friend and daughter of his parentsâ friends.
âBut events that neither can foresee will change the course of Janeâs life forever.â
Who stars in Mothering Sunday?
Odessa Young leads the cast as Jane Fairchild, with Josh OâConnor as Paul Sheringham.
They are joined by Colin Firth, Olivia Colman, áčąá»páșčÌ DĂŹrĂsĂč, Emma DâArcy, Nathan Chester Reeve and Samuel Barlow.
Mothering Sunday is available to watch on Channel 4.Â
