Unveiled: The Mother/Daughter Relationship

Welcome to the most emotionally draining social ritual in the world--no, not an evening alone with your mother-in-law--the wedding ceremony. Unveiled ushers viewers through prenuptial hell as it follows a trio of drained and nerved-out mother/daughter sets trying to keep it together just long enough for the camera to catch the happy occasion. In this non-narrated cinema verite-style program, we meet Ruth and Carline: mother is totally stressed out overseeing every detail of her daughter's wedding while the latter--seemingly oblivious to the massive details--is only interested in partying with friends. Their relationship/friendship gets a much-needed boost when--and I think you'll agree with the psychological appropriateness here--they take time for a girls night out at a local Chippendales. We also observe Pearl, a widow who is getting married for the second time, as she receives help and encouragement from her two grown daughters, one of whom tells the camera, "The things I find most endearing about my mother are also the most annoying." (Amen!) Finally, we meet Sabina and Shari, a troubled pair who have a strained and co-dependent relationship which is particularly hard to watch--in one scene shot shortly after the wedding, they're seen sitting at the kitchen table, where the mother is crying as she talks about their rotten relationship and the daughter is calmly writing ‘thank you' notes to friends and family. Unfortunately, this concluding maudlin high-drama spoils and somewhat overshadows the "real"-ness of the first two relationships. Still, this exploration of mother/daughter relationships under the stress of an impending wedding is an interesting piece of cake, albeit on a rather expensive plate. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (N. Plympton)