The Second Mother (2015)

hyped garbage

Expected more

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The Second Mother is a wonderful film that really emphasizes many topics that we really do not get to cover in other films. Even if we do cover them directly, the audience would feel attacked and would not want to see the film. This film covers these various topics in an indirect way, by making the audience empathize with the protagonist, Val. Through the use of emphasizing the audience would not have to feel attacked and can learn about the wrongs in the film in their own way. The film covers topics such as social class, race, and gender. We see Val in the movie as a nanny, taking care of a child who is rich and comes from a mostly white family. Val, is a woman of color that is also one of the main servants in the family's home. She is shown as "knowing her place", because of her knowing that she poor and is supposed to be in the shadows when serving the family. If one researches the history of Brazil we learn more about slavery in Brazil and the abuse that the slaves went through. One of the many roles the slaves had to got through was to be a servant in the master's house, so we see that in Val's case. There is also the topic of gender and the woman's role in which we see with the patriarch of the family towards the daughter and in Val's case. Val's case was supposed to take care of her daughter, but instead she took care of the family's son and her daughter comes by and reiterates to her what her original role was. There are many more topics that the film covers, such as intergenerational mobility and more. I describe the movie as a serious film, and it is not. It is an enjoyable film with many scenes that made me laugh. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who wants to wants to know more about Brazil and to pass time. I promise you, it is not boring.

A realistic view into the ever-present but never-mentioned class barrier, The Second Mother addresses social identity problems through the eyes of a lifetime maid and her renegade teen daughter. Val works tirelessly for almost nothing in return, and at times we can't help but feel sorry for her. The family that she serves is obviously of stature, and at times they seem to treat Val like a part of the family. But it is all the other times that reveal exactly what it is like for someone in the same situation as Val. It only gets worse when her daughter, Jesica, arrives at the house. Dr. Carlos seems to take a liking to her, so she is allowed special privileges in the house that make Val very uncomfortable. Throughout the movie, it is eluded to that Barbara is the head of the household. She gives stern orders to Val, but also shows interest in her life when Val mentions the arrival of her daughter. This is ironic, because it is ultimately Barbara who shuns Jesica out of the house. For me, it is difficult to see someone as hardworking as Val be treated the way that she is, but that is the realization of social classes. I believe at one point in the movie, Val tells Jesica that all of the rules are in place for them because that is just how it is, that is how it has always been. In the end, it is Jesica that serves as motivation for Val to resist the status quo, and ultimately join Jesica on her renegade journey. The two of them together set off to find themselves and perhaps challenge the strangling social norms that have resisted their success in the past.

Val is the live-in maid for an affluent family in São Paulo. Dona Bárbara is the boss. Her husband José Carlos is a failed artist but the family's money is an inheritance from his father. Their only child Fabinho has been raised almost entirely by Val. She is essentially her mother. She is "almost family". Her biological daughter Jessica is almost 18 and raised by her relatives. She arrives to stay with the family while she takes the University entrance exam. She is outspoken and starts causing friction in the home.There are some insightful and comical characterizations. There are a couple of minor problems. Carlos asking Jessica to marry him is awkward. It's not funny although there is a point to it. I just think it could be done better. The other point is Val standing in the pool. It would have been a great moment to end the movie. The last section drags on and on. There is a story element that gives the movie poetic symmetry but in the whole, it's better to end it on a high. This is an interesting movie with interesting characters.

I really loved it, and I think it's one of Brazil's best movies.It is about the relationship between Brazilian employers and employees. Val, the maid, has been working at a house for many years. Her employers like her and treat her well. Their son sees her as his second mother. However,this is about to change when her daughter comes to town and has to stay there for a few days. The prejudice towards Val comes to surface as she finds out it is not so easy to be poor in Brazil. The main actress is amazing, and so is the whole cast. It surely deserves at least an Oscar nomination for best foreign movie. I hope everybody gets the chance to watch it and love it.