A quiet, contemplative film that never wants for excessive dialogue or exposition, “Maternal” is so visceral and raw that it almost feels verité. This isn’t a documentary, though, but rather a thoughtful drama that is wholly concerned with the experiences of women, and the fluid nature of motherhood.
“Maternal” is set, and remains almost entirely throughout, in an unwed mothers shelter in Buenos Aires. The facility is managed by Catholic nuns, who look after the women and tend to the upbringing of their children, who range from newborns to preoperational. When Sister Paola (Lidiya Liberman) arrives from Italy to take her final vows, one of these young mothers, Lu (Agustina Malale), is battling with the sisters over her late-night excursions into town.
Lu’s roommate, Fati (Denise Carrizo), warns the woman that her habit of playing hooky will get her into trouble, but the draw of the nightlife and Lu’s resistance to the responsibilities of motherhood keep pulling her away. Quiet and observant at first, Paola finds herself increasingly drawn into the day-to-day care of these young children, Lu’s in particular. This proximity to children and the women about to have them clearly tickles something inside of Paola: close as she is to swearing off any hope of having kids of her own someday.
Writer/director Maura Delpero uses dialogue with surgical precision in “Maternal,” allowing words to pass out of Fati and Paola with an economy of use that says more about their characters than any monologue or narration ever could. This approach isn’t unearned, either, for Lu speaks plenty, and this says as much about her character in contrast to these other women as anything. Fati’s pregnancy is touched on briefly when she has a passing conversation about her estranged mother’s boyfriend, and in about two sentences, everything one needs to know about who she is and what she’s dealing with becomes clear.
These moments are deployed masterfully throughout “Maternal” and are a credit to Delpero’s skill as a storyteller. And it’s not just the adults who land these blows, either: the children in this film also manage to pack a wallop with just a line or two. When a little girl laments her mother’s hasty, unplanned departure, she says, “She went away to make more money because I asked for too many presents.” It’s a devastating line to hear from the mouth of a child, but a crucial one. In the absence of guidance and thoughtful communication, kids are free to make up their own reality, which can get dark pretty damn fast.
Something of a micro-story, “Maternal” is nevertheless broad in its message and themes. Men are spoken of, yet never seen in the film, and this doesn’t come across as coincidental. The nuns at the shelter kindly teach the children about Jesus, and the “proper” family structure of a mother (Mary), father (Joseph), and child (Christ). It’s clear that the sisters are trying to start early with the next generation and to teach them about the ideal family unit since their mothers (by the nuns’ way of thinking) missed that memo at some point along the way.
“Maternal” shows this approach to be comically impractical, however, just like the stern pounding on a desk or doorframe by the older nuns to break up a fight amongst the young mothers. It does nothing, except maybe make the older sisters feel like they’re doing something to stem an inevitable tide. What really works, between the kids and parents, as well as the parents and nuns, are genuine, heartfelt connections and love. These women and their kids need friends and an understanding atmosphere, but unless there is buy-in from both sides, it’s all for naught.
When it comes to buy-in, the kids always seem game. Depending on the mom or the nun, however, it can be hit or miss. “Maternal” shows the strength of these women to endure without the buy-in from the fathers, and the resilience of the children who endure despite the sometimes-spotty participation of the only parent they have left. At the center of it all are Paola and her struggle to find meaning in the connections she’s making not just as a nun, but as a surrogate mother. How she comes to reconcile these emerging feelings with her duty not just as a sister, but as a woman, rounds out the final act of “Maternal,” and it’s a magnificent thing to behold.
Well-shot, wonderfully acted, and put in motion by the superb writing and direction of Delpero, “Maternal” is a touching exploration of modern women wrestling with timeless struggles. As a window into the formative years of a child’s life and the ways women grapple with responsibilities that should never be left wholly to them, the film is almost without peer. [A-]
