100
This brilliant, beautifully observed comedy is a joy to watch throughout. The Second Mother's narrative works on so many levels, reflected in the film's ambiguous title, and the characterisation is flawless.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
100
Village Voice by Amy Nicholson
As we switch sympathies from scene to scene, Muylaert forces us to think big about the clash between idealism and acceptance, a philosophical war that spills beyond the walls of this small story into every corner of our own lives.
60
The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
The Second Mother goes soft toward the end, defusing its conflicts too easily and inconsequentially.
100
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
Muylaert does a deft job here of plotting her story and setting up her characters and their predicaments in ways that immediately invite reflection.
63
Slant Magazine by Clayton Dillard
Character relations are hinted at and even primed for confrontation, but without payoff or meaningful conclusion.
90
Screen International by Dan Fainaru
Touching, funny, perceptive and simple enough to carry large audiences, The Second Mother is carried throughout by a hilarious, intelligent and soulful performance from veteran Brazilian actress, comedian and TV host Regina Case, surrounded by a solid supporting cast.
75
New York Post by Farran Smith Nehme
Brazilian director Anna Muylaert’s deft, funny film is set in São Paulo, but the class distinctions shown have no borders.
90
The script is executed with enough naturalism to ward off complaints of contrivance — all the way up to a tidy, but quite satisfying, denouement.
100
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
Ms. Muylaert’s guiding principle seems to have been fearlessness, and her film, which was shot by Barbara Alvarez, is superb on all counts.
67
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
There’s a rah-rah element to The Second Mother that undermines its sociological ambition.
A touching look into the intersections of class and race in Brazil and their implications on a personal scale. Though Muylaert doesn't exactly provide solutions to the sticky dynamics (how could she?), she captures the complex mixture of discomfort and love, sincerity and prejudice that characterize those relationships with realism and empathy. To me, it's enough to leave audiences pondering the questions themselves.
The Second Mother is a heartwarming and eye-opening film about family and class connections in the affluent metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil. The relationships between the women are complex and allow the audience to understand how the intersections of race and class affect the everyday lives of working people in Brazil. Anna Muylaert crafts an interesting, comedic, and emotional tale of a mother's love and the sacrifices some are willing to take to provide for their families.