The Mother

The Mother is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by Niki Caro with a screenplay by Misha Green, Andrea Berloff and Peter Craig, from a story by Green. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci, and Gael García Bernal. It is about a former US army operative (Lopez) who partners with an FBI agent to rescue her teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by criminals. The Mother was released on May 12, 2023, by Netflix mixed reviews from critics. Plot An unnamed U.S. military operative, known as "the Mother", brokers an arms smuggling deal between ex-SAS Captain Adrian Lovell and arms dealer Hector Álvarez. Romantically involved with them both, she ends up becoming pregnant. After discovering that they are involved with child trafficking, the Mother approaches the FBI to be an informant. While the Mother is being interrogated at a safe house by FBI Special agent William Cruise, Lovell attacks the property; Cruise is shot and wounded, and the other FBI agents are killed. The Mother saves Cruise's life and crafts a time-delayed bomb. Lovell confronts her in the bathroom and stabs her in the womb before getting knocked out and burned by the explosion. After the ordeal, the Mother gives birth to a girl prematurely in the hospital. SAIC Eleanor Williams informs the Mother that Lovell's body was missing and that her newborn daughter will be placed with a foster family for protection. Understanding that the child will never be safe with her, she disgruntledly waives parental rights. The Mother visits Cruise, giving him three conditions: the child will have a life as ordinary as possible, she'll get a photo every birthday, and to call her if she is in jeopardy. The Mother then moves to a remote cabin in Alaska with the help of her former army colleague, Jons.