The truth-based The Good Mothers shows a completely different side of the Italian mafia. The starting point is the women who are part of the mafia as (in-law) family. This television series shows very well that this is no fun. Don't expect romantic images of strong women and men who may be criminals but are still known as romantics. This is the harsh reality for some of the women who are oppressed by their husbands, their families and the organization behind the mafia. As long as you keep doing what is asked of you, you will be (relatively) fine. If you take a step that the mafia does not like, you will no longer have a life. Let The Good Mothers be just about this last group.
The story is about several women who work together with Anna Colace (Barbara Chichiarelli, Suburra) the female prosecutor. For the women in question, that is the same as signing your death warrant. For example, Denise's mother (Gaia Girace, L'amica Geniale) returns to her ex-husband. Slowly the story unfolds what happened before and what the consequences are for Denise. When her mother disappears, it is soon clear to Denise what has happened. That makes her take a recalcitrant attitude towards her father. That is not without risks.
This is a fantastic, but also extremely painful insight into the world of the mafia.
Giuseppina Pesce (Valentina Bellè, Medici: Masters of Florence) is an active part of an important mafia family. She seems convinced of the work she does for the family. However, as a woman she remains the odd one out. Like her family, she becomes a target of the police and is arrested. The frustration of her role in the family eventually causes her to talk. Of course, the family is not happy about that. They do everything they can to stop Giuseppina. Even Giuseppina's children are used for this.
Concetta (Simona Distefano) is Giuseppina's friend. Her husband is in prison. As a result, her family watches over her like hawks. Her room to move is limited to a minimum. If violence is necessary, then it will be used. Because of her children, she doesn't dare to take a step. She knows that they will be used against her if she turns against her family. Her flirtatious behavior with another man doesn't help her. When she dares to take the step towards justice, it becomes clear how brave this actually is. Especially when it turns out how severe the consequences are in the end.
The Good Mothers is not a happy series. It shows a side of the mafia that hardly gets any attention.
The Good Mothers is not a happy series. It shows a side of the mafia that hardly gets any attention. The fact that it is based on truth makes it all the more dramatic. For people who just want to be confronted with the romantic side of the mafia, this is not a good series to watch. This is where it becomes painfully clear how things actually work. Manipulation, oppression and violence have few romantic ingredients. The fact that this series takes an unusual angle makes it a nice addition to all those other mafia series. That Italy is the cradle of the mafia and therefore of the mafia series is also confirmed with The Good Mothers. The acting and imagery are of an unprecedented high level. This is a fantastic, but also extremely painful insight into the world of the mafia.
The Good Mothers won the prize for best series at the Berlin Film Festival and in my opinion rightly so. I completely agree with your review and the acting was indeed of an unprecedented high level.
