Ken Scott’s crowd-pleasing megahit opens with a Rudyard Kipling quote “God could not be everywhere, therefore he made mothers.” In early 1960s Paris, Roland, the sixth child of a family of Mizrahi Jews, is born with clubfoot. His mother, Esther, though devastated, devotes her life to searching for doctors who can ensure that Roland can walk without braces, overcome physical and social barriers and live life to the fullest. Even in adulthood, his mother’s unrelenting, unfettered love traverses each success and hardship in Roland’s life.
Based on Roland Perez’s autobiographical novel, “My Mother, God and Sylvie Vartan,” ONCE UPON MY MOTHER is a colorful, boisterous and big-hearted celebration of the role mothers play in the family and society. The bedazzling Leila Bekhti portrays Esther as an undeniable force whose devotion knows no bounds. She is the warm hug at the center of the film. Roland, played as an adult by actor comedian Jonathan Cohen, strikes the perfect balance of frustration, knowing acceptance and appreciation of his overbearing mother. The music of Sylvie Vartan, a famous French-Bulgarian singer, a favorite of Roland’s, is both soundtrack and plays a role in this coming-of-age story. Chock-full of great performances, ONCE UPON MY MOTHER is a delightful gem, navigating decades of a family’s emotional peaks and valleys with the ultimate emotional payoff—the joy, tears and warmth that only a mother’s embrace often provides.
ONCE UPON MY MOTHER opened Miami, Atlanta, Toronto and New York Jewish Film Festivals, to name a few, taking home Audience Awards and a Canadian French César Best Actress nominee for lead Leïla Bekhti at Le Gala Quebec Cinema, who delivers a magnetic performance.
Director Bio: View on IMDB
Ken Scott is a Canadian screenwriter, actor, director and comedian. He made a name for himself as a writer for SEDUCING DOCTOR LEWIS (2003) but is best known as a member of the comedy group Les Bizarroïdes and as the director of the acclaimed film STARBUCK (2011).
