The Good Mothers

Berlinale Series 2023

“Remember one thing. Who’s are you, Denise? You are mine.” Denise’s beloved mother disappears without a trace, literally before her eyes. Years ago she had testified against her husband, the notorious ’Ndrangheta boss Carlo Cosco, hoping for a witness protection programme that never came to pass. Denise and two other women born into Italy’s richest mafia families become key allies of a young prosecutor, Anna Colace, who has made it her mission to overthrow the brutal system from within.
Adapted from the eponymous novel by Alex Perry which is based on true events, screenwriter Stephen Butchard weaves together the stories of three extraordinary women, and tells of their brave decision to turn their backs on a vicious circle of oppression and violence, and to take on their own families instead. Directors Julian Jarrold and Elisa Amoroso have found poetic and disquieting images to portray a world full of extreme contradictions and make palpable the nervous tension that constantly accompanies the titular “good mothers”.

by Julian Jarrold, Elisa Amoruso
with Gaia Girace, Valentina Bellè, Barbara Chichiarelli, Francesco Colella, Simona Distefano, Andrea Dodero, Micaela Ramazzotti United Kingdom / Italy 2023 Italian 114’ Colour

With

Gaia Girace (Denise Cosco)
Valentina Bellè (Giuseppina Pesce)
Barbara Chichiarelli (Anna Colace)
Francesco Colella (Carlo Cosco)
Simona Distefano (Concetta Cacciola)
Andrea Dodero (Carmine)
Micaela Ramazzotti (Lea Garofalo)

Crew

Directors	Julian Jarrold, Elisa Amoruso
Screenplay	Stephen Butchard
Cinematography	Vittorio Omodei Zorini, Martina Cocco, Ferran Paredes Rubio
Editing	Simona Paggi, Chiara Griziotti, Irene Vecchio
Music	Giorgio Giampà
Sound	Adriano Di Lorenzo
Production Design	Laura Pozzaglio
Costumes	Cristina Ricceri
Producers	Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross, Harriet Spencer, Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Gangarossa