Four Mothers

Winner of BFI London Film Festival 2024 Audience Award for Best Feature and a wonderfully accessible riff on Gianni Di Gregorio’s Mid-August Lunch, Four Mothers reveals a perceptive grasp of queer identity. Edward (McArdle, exceptional in a break-out role that has earned comparisons to Andrew Scott), a queer up-and coming novelist, juggles work with caring for his elderly mother. Finally finding himself on the brink of literary success, he finds pressure mounting from his publisher to go on an American book tour. Plans hang in the balance when his three closest friends go off on an impromptu Pride holiday and leave their ageing mothers in Edward’s care. Unsurprisingly, chaos ensues and Edward tries his best to maintain some kind of order. A perceptive look at mother and son dynamics and singledom, Thornton’s film manages to be moving, heatwarming, political and very, very funny. Think The Golden Girls as directed by Andrew Haigh.

Jason Wood, BFI Executive Director of Public Programmes & Audiences

Audio Description available at all screenings.

The screenings on Sunday 20 April 15:10 NFT4; Monday 21 April 14:50 NFT4; Tuesday 22 April 18:20 NFT4; Wednesday 30 April 18:25 NFT4 will be presented with additional Descriptive Subtitles of non-dialogue audio.

See the Four Mothers Member Salon event.

See a Seniors’ Matinee screening of Four Mothers + intro by film programmer Caroline Seddon on Wednesday 9 April 14:00 NFT3.