Health Beyond the Blog: Out On Film and “Four Mothers”

“Four Mothers” is a heartwarming story of four women navigating their diminishing health in old age.

by Ananya Dash

“Four Mothers,” an Irish comedy, screened Oct. 5 on the closing night of 2025’s Out on Film — Atlanta’s long-running LGBTQ film festival — at the Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema in Atlanta.

“Four Mothers” gives center stage to a mother-son duo, where Edward, the son, takes care of Alma, his mother, who lost her voice due to a stroke. The three other mothers arrive at their home when Edward’s friends’ drop them off unannounced — taking a break from their caregiving roles — to attend a Pride Festival.

The first scene of the film opens with Edward preparing for an interview about his new book while his mum rings a bell to call him to her room. Following this scene, Edward takes his mum to the bathroom and starts his interview, sitting by the bathroom door. He hates interviews, he talks too fast and is nervous. Then, there’s a voice from the bathroom.  

Edward’s mum tells him to stop rambling with her iPad’s text-to-sound feature in the middle of his interview. This exchange between Edward and Alma packs in the essence of the film; it’s humorous and warm despite its sadness. Alma is old and sick. She depends on her son for her day-to-day needs, but she is still herself. There are flavors to her personality that go beyond her sickness. She is sassy when she wants her way. She cares for her son.

When Edward’s friends leave their mothers with him, he takes care of all the mothers. At this point, one would expect that the film is going to be about his frustrations about caregiving. But Edward is patient as a caregiver, he doesn’t really think about it much. Instead, in the backdrop of taking care of these women, we get to see how he navigates his writing career and being single in his mid-thirties.

He writes young adult novels about queer romance. In the film, he wrestles with the idea of promoting his book. He messes up his interviews numerous times. He is in happy tears when he reads his book’s positive review in the New York Times. He wants to go for a book tour in the US, but he just cannot confirm his trip with his publishers. Whether it’s his anxiety about the tour or leaving Alma behind at a care home, there is no way to tell.

On the other hand, the four mothers learn to accept that their bodies aren’t the same as before. They also begin to bond with each other. In a surprising turn of events, four of them force Edward to take them on a six-hour road trip to meet a psychic, who could tell them if their partners are at peace. In these moments of cohabiting, we get a peek into these women’s minds, on losing their partners and accepting their sons’ queerness.

“Four Mothers” shows, rather than telling too loudly. The film provides a glimpse into taking care of a parent and what it means to become older. It also shows that life goes on and we learn to live with all its glory — and shortcomings.

Four Mothers is available to watch on Apple TV+ and a Q&A with the director and writer Darren Thornton is available on Out on Film’s YouTube channel.