Five films to watch with your mother… and five to avoid

Centred around Moonee, played by Brooklynn Prince, and her mother, Halley, played by Bria Vinaite, who was discovered on Instagram by director Sean Baker.

What Mark said: “Vibrancy and energy… Never soft pedals on the harsh economic reality… Sees the world through the eyes of the characters… Real sadness, real heartbreak, real poignancy, real joy.”

Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, this tells the story of Saoirse Ronan’s ‘Lady Bird’ is a senior student at high school in California. It has at its heart “very loving but very exasperating” relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, played memorably by Laurie Metcalf. Both Ronan and Metcalf were nominated for Oscars for their roles.

What Clarisse Loughrey said: “A special film… one of a kind. Profound”

Mark was a big fan of this Senegalese drama directed by Alain Gomis which tells the story of a single mother going to extreme lengths to get the money to pay for her seriously ill son’s medical treatment. Stars Véro Tshanda, Beya Mputu, Gaetan Claudia and Papi Mpaka.

What Mark said: “Very urgent, very real… A terrific central performance.”

Written by Diablo Cody, this is a charming and very real comedy about the way a young woman negotiates her way around her pregnancy.

Mark said: “Not a polemical movie, it’s an entertaining comedy about people you could like. Fun, entertaining… Genuinely offbeat and charming.”

These films aren't really ideal watching on Sunday...

This Canadian drama was directed by Xavier Dolan and stars Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon and Suzanne Clément. The story focuses on mother–son relationships, a recurrent theme in Dolan's work. Not one to stick on with mum on Sunday.

Mark said: “The emotions are very raw.”

Danish-French neo-noir psychological thriller written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. It’s stars Ryan Gosling as Julian, son of "merciless and terrifying" Crystal, played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Spoiler alert: There’s quite the mother/ son reunion toward the end of the film...

James King said: “It’s not a film that is going to leave you shrugging your shoulders with indifference. Brutal”

This Austrian film tells the story of a bandaged mum returning to her isolated lakeside house after cosmetic surgery. Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala.. Her nine-year-old twin sons, Elias and Lukas (Elias and Lukas Schwarz). Only her eyes and mouth are visible and the twins begin to suspect that perhaps mummy dearest isn’t who she says she is.

Mark said: “Very, very tough going. Genuinely creepy, genuinely disturbing.”

Psychological thriller about a man with a fractured personality. It stars Toby Jones as Carl, but be warned - this is NOT the Toby Jones from Detectorists. When his mother Aileen (Anne Reid) makes her entrance it’s pretty clear that this isn’t – or wasn’t – the conventional mother and son relationship.

“A really well done intriguing psychological drama and thriller. Alludes to Psycho, The Tenant and Giallo and does all those things without tripping itself up.

This romantic ‘comedy’ was directed by Garry Marshall and stars Jason Sudeikis, Timothy Olyphant in the Room and Jennifer Aniston. It’s a series of intertwined stories around… you guessed it… Mother’s Day. If you want a smug, overblown and annoying film to annoy your mum with, this is the one.

Mark said: “It’s staggeringly not funny and not-heartwarming and fatuous and smug. Like being in a greeting card store and surrounded by cards with completely appalling messages written on them.”