Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- sensual
- wistful
- quiet evening
- literary film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s lush period atmosphere, performances, and sensual secret-affair drama, while finding its timeline shifts and emotional interiority less fully realized than in the novel.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jane is a maidservant whose intimate relationship with the aristocratic Paul Sheringham must remain hidden within the postwar English class system.
Older Jane’s perspective frames and returns to memories of her younger self, with the narrative moving between past and later life.
The film emphasizes the secret affair between Jane and Paul through lush imagery, physical intimacy, and reflective emotional distance.
Berkshire estates, domestic interiors, and carefully staged encounters give the postwar setting an elegant, tactile visual texture.
Films like Mothering Sunday, and why
Atonement
lush period romance shaped by forbidden desire, class boundaries, and grief
The Remains of the Day
erotic literary period drama focused on memory, repression, and social hierarchy
Howards End
melancholic English period romance where class and emotional restraint shape intimate relationships
The English Patient
nonlinear romantic drama pairing sensuality with memory, loss, and artistic self-invention
Movie Details
- Director
- Eva Husson
- Release Date
- 2021-11-12
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 5.4 / 10 (138)
Cast
- Odessa Young
- Josh O'Connor
- Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù
- Patsy Ferran
- Emma D'Arcy
- Glenda Jackson
- Olivia Colman
- Colin Firth
- Nathan Reeve
- Samuel Barlow
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mothering Sunday about?
- A maid’s secret affair with an aristocratic neighbor becomes the emotional source of a life shaped by memory, grief, and literary ambition.
- What is Mothering Sunday like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mothering Sunday as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mothering Sunday violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mothering Sunday.
- What did critics think of Mothering Sunday?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s lush period atmosphere, performances, and sensual secret-affair drama, while finding its timeline shifts and emotional interiority less fully realized than in the novel.
- Which films are like Mothering Sunday?
- Films with a similar feel include Atonement, The Remains of the Day, Howards End, and The English Patient.
- How long is Mothering Sunday?
- Mothering Sunday runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mothering Sunday?
- In United States, Mothering Sunday streams on Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow.
