Midday Movies: Once Upon My Mother

Guest Speaker
Screening followed by discussion with Christopher Llewellyn Reed, filmmaker, film critic and Chair of the Film & Moving Image Department at Stevenson University. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University, in Slavic Languages and Literatures (concentration in Russian), an M.A from Yale University, in Russian and East European Studies (concentration in Russian Film), and an M.F.A. from the Graduate Film Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, Professor Reed is lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the editor of Film Festival Today. He is also a voting member of the Black Reel Awards. In addition, he is the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice (Mercury Learning and Information, 2012).

About the Film
In 1963, Esther gave birth to Roland, the youngest sibling of a large family. Roland was born with a clubfoot that prevented him from standing. Against everyone’s advice, she promised her son that he would be able to walk just like everyone else and have a wonderful life.

From that moment on, Esther devoted herself fully to ensuring this promise came true. Spanning decades of hardships and miracles, this film is the story of an incredible destiny and the greatest love of all: a mother’s love for her child. Based on Roland Perez’s book, Ma Mère, Dieu Et Sylvie Vartan.

[ Drama | France | 2025 | 102 mins | French with English subtitles | Dir: Ken Scott ]

Part of Midday Movies: Food, Flicks & Friends, a film appreciation series exploring films of Jewish interest, with enlightening discussions with filmmakers and scholars and casual conversation with other film enthusiasts. Kosher lunch provided.

Presented by the William & Irene Weinberg Family Baltimore Jewish Film Institute