This is a movie that will touch a nerve with anyone who has struggled through heartache to be a good parent.
We follow Laura, struggling to quiet the voices in her head and be the mother she wants to be. Her son Jack is a handful — an energetic and impulsive boy. He comes home from school with a tall tale of being locked in a closet by his teacher, and all of Laura’s doubts vanish for a short time. She strives to find the truth, and is confronted by her own shortcomings in the process.
The depth of character is what makes this movie unique — Laura’s emotional turmoil is palpable, her lack of confidence makes her very human. The teacher, Mrs. Drake is a bit of a mystery — very direct and calls Laura out on some very big shortcomings on her part, blaming her for Jack’s behavior.
It’s a very human thing to want to protect your children, a very human thing to doubt yourself. Laura’s story intertwines good intentions with perplexity in a beautiful portrait of the faltering nature of motherhood. After all, no child comes with an instruction manual.
Director’s Statement: Mrs Drake is a story about blame and responsibility and the ways in which we often long to make someone else accountable for darknesses in ourselves that we are unwilling to address. In the end, it almost doesn’t matter whether Mrs Drake is her enemy or ally, Laura just wants the teacher to share the burden of parenthood that weighs so heavily upon her- to not feel so alone in her guilt and shame. This film beautifully illustrates how, when we project blame in this way, it is an inevitably failed project. As Laura painfully discovers, ultimately no one else is responsible for her feelings of helplessness, and relief will only come from a frank confrontation with herself.