We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
There are few things as complicated and endlessly fascinating as our relationships with our mothers. Below, we celebrate mothers and mother-figures alike through a look back at seven life-affirming films to stream together, all of which pay tribute to the indefinable bonds that exist between mothers and daughters.
The Truth (2019)
Photo: Curzon Artifial Eye/IFC/Kobal/Shutterstock
Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche are delightful as a ravishing, self-indulgent movie star and her long-suffering screenwriter daughter in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s delicate study of motherhood in all its forms. When the former releases a contentious memoir, the latter comes to visit with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and child (Clémentine Grenier) in tow. They dissect past grievances and reopen old wounds, but their final reconciliation is a moment of profound, tear-jerking tenderness.
How to watch: Stream on Prime Video or YouTube.
Little Women (2019)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
In previous adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic, the character of Marmee—mother to the March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—faded into the background with her saintly charity work. Not so in Greta Gerwig’s spirited retelling, in which she’s played with steely determination by Laura Dern. She gives her daughters the freedom to chase their dreams and make mistakes, admitting to them that she’s far from perfect and contends with anger nearly every day of her life.
How to watch: Stream on Hulu, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
The central relationship in Channing Godfrey Peoples’s touching drama is between a young mother (a wondrous Nicole Beharie) and her mischievous teenage daughter (the radiant Alexis Chikaeze), whom she enters into a pageant in hopes of getting her a scholarship to college. As the pair face mounting bills, snooty rivals, and unsuitable romantic prospects, they bicker about their differing priorities but also grow closer.
How to watch: Stream on Netflix, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Enola Holmes (2020)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
A madcap mystery that depicts a daughter’s search for her eccentric mother, Harry Bradbeer’s coming-of-age charmer casts an ebullient Millie Bobby Brown as the titular teenage detective and sister of Sherlock Holmes. Helena Bonham Carter plays their mother, a suffragette who suddenly disappears, leaving behind a string of clues. In solving them, Enola is guided by her mother’s spirit—a free thinker who taught her archery, chess, and jiu-jitsu as well as the value of independence.
How to watch: Stream on Netflix.
Herself (2020)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
When Sandra, a domestic-abuse survivor, manages to escape her controlling husband with her two young daughters, a housing shortage jeopardizes their future in Phyllida Lloyd’s heart-wrenching saga. Clare Dunne takes the lead with a performance that weaves together fragility and resilience, as she assembles a group of volunteers and attempts to build a home of her own. It’s an inspiring tale about the kindness of strangers but, ultimately, it’s Sandra and her girls who save each other.
How to watch: Stream on
King Richard (2021)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
Its title might nod to Richard Williams (Will Smith), the father and tireless coach of tennis legends Venus and Serena (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton), but crucial to the success of Reinaldo Marcus Green’s soaring sports epic is Aunjanue Ellis as their fiercely protective, no-nonsense mother, Oracene. She works double shifts as a nurse, is unafraid of calling out her husband when he falls short, and nurtures her daughters with the same dedication that she brings to their training. In the end, they owe her just as much as they owe him.
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Max, Netflix, or YouTube.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
In Kelly Fremon Craig’s heartwarming rendering of Judy Blume’s seminal tale of girlhood joy and anguish, Abby Ryder Fortson is wonderful as the titular 11-year-old grappling with growing pains, new friendships, crushes, and a move to the suburbs, as is Rachel McAdams as her supportive mother, a painter and art teacher who sets her own passions aside to become more involved in her daughter’s parent-teacher association. As they both lose themselves and then, slowly, rediscover their identities, their unshakeable bond is always visible.
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
