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Mothers’ Instinct pitches both Celine (Anne Hathaway – Eileen) and Alice (Jessica Chastain – Interstellar, along with Hathaway) as neighbours and best friends, as are their respective sons Max and Theo.
Based on the French film Duelles, as well as a novel which was set in the 2010s, the films are set in the ’60s where women generally stay home and clean the house, as the film opens, it’s Celine’s birthday, while Alice wants to get back into the workplace, rather than have another child, as their husbands (Josh Charles (Away), and Anders Danielsen Lie (Personal Shopper)) continue their regular workaday occupations.
But it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, as Max is spotted by Alice, as he tries to adjust a high-up and badly-placed birdhouse, and it doesn’t work out too well for him. This triggers a series of simple misunderstandings, first leading to Celine blaming Alice, making this feel like a bad episode of Eastenders, rather than a theatrical experience.
Meanwhile, Alice’s mother-in-law, Jean (Caroline Lagerfelt), needs her heart pills. What’s happened to those? Who’s to blame? Well… I’ll put the rest behind a spoiler header, although it won’t be too spoilery.
Mothers’ Instinct is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release date TBA.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 94 minutes
Release date: March 29th 2024
Studio: Studiocanal UK
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 2/10
Director: Benoît Delhomme
Producers: Jacques-Henri Bronckart, Kelly Carmichael, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Paul Nelson
Novel: Barbara Abel
Screenplay: Sarah Conradt-Kroehler
Music: Anne Nikitin
Cast:
Celine: Anne Hathaway
Alice: Jessica Chastain
Damian: Josh Charles
Jean: Caroline Lagerfelt
Simon: Anders Danielsen Lie
Max: Baylen D Bielitz
Theo: Eamon Patrick O’Connell
Dr. Wallace: Alexander Blaise
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.