It’s been a great year for Canadian film but it’s been particularly joyous for local filmmaker Carl Bessai. Earlier this year, Normal (our review) presented what appeared to be a leap forward for Bessai, a director whose work has always been interesting but whose scripts always seemed to be missing a little something. The script and story for Normal seemed more polished and it showed in the pacing of the film. But rather than years, it has taken Bessai mere months to return with his best film to date.

Mothers & Daughters is a comedic drama about three women and their very different relationships with their daughters. Celine is still grieving giving up her daughter for adoption when she meets Cynthia, a young, single, adopted woman who happens to be unexpectedly pregnant. Brenda is in her 50’s and her husband has left her for a younger woman but her daughter Kate steps up to support her. Micki is a writer whose turbulent relationship with her daughter Rebecca is one of love/hate. These three stories are tied together under the pretence of a documentary film maker, Bessai, making a film about women and their relationships with their daughters.

The film is a mix of behind the scenes documentary footage and the women in the their daily lives, interacting with their daughters and dealing with life altering events. When Celine, a painter, meets Cynthia, a woman who wants her living room painted a shade of yellow that looks remarkably like the colour already on the wall, thoughts of her daughter start to surface and when Cynthia discovers she’s pregnant and confides that she can’t tell her parents, Celine is there to provide support. It’s clear form the interaction between the two women that they’re meant to be together and when Celine arrives a few weeks later with a gift for the mother to be, one can’t help but smile at how seemingly natural their relationship is.

Micki, the writer, fancies herself some sort of NY Times Bestseller but in reality she’s selfish. At one point, she’s asked about her daughter only to reply that she’s riding on mom’s coat tales. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Rebecca that is, until you see her in action. When mom isn’t around, Rebecca makes a hobby of badly impersonating her mother at open mics. As Bessai reveals more of their relationship, it becomes clear that neither woman is “good” – they’re both badly damaged and have a vindictive nature. Babs Chula fills the role of Micki to a T but it’s Bessai regular Camille Sullivan who comes through with a shining performance as the “wronged” daughter.

Perhaps the most interesting of the relationships, and the one I most relate to, is that of Brenda and Kate. Gabrielle Rose is brilliant as Brenda, the somewhat stuffy, old fashioned woman while Tiffany Lyndall-Knight brings Kate to life. These women don’t hate each other, they’re simply living in different worlds which the other can’t seem to understand yet when Brenda needs support, Kate is there for her. There’s an unspoken comradery between the two women which is exactly what one expects (or hopes for) from mother/daughter relationships.

Although all three stories are very different, Bessai manages to incorporate all three, all of their emotions and strength to make a cohesive film that runs just over 80’s minutes. The film is never weighed down by the drama and instead, the dramatic moments are interspersed with some hilarious segments. But those funny bits aren’t just tucked in there to keep the film light rather, they add to the character development and help create a more complete picture of the women.

Insightful, funny and sincere Mothers & Daughters was a great surprise. It also happens to be the best work I’ve seen from Bessai. It’ll be interesting to see if he can top himself yet again; I get the feeling he’s just getting started.