Overview
- The French drama is based on the true-life trajectory of Roland Perez, whose childhood disability is confronted by a determined mother.
- Leïla Bekhti earns strong notices for her commanding turn as Esther Perez, with Jonathan Cohen playing Roland as an adult.
- Critics emphasize the film’s pop frame built around Sylvie Vartan’s songs, which provide comfort and drive across a 1960s–70s backdrop.
- Reviews note the portrait of a Moroccan‑Jewish immigrant household in Paris as central to the film’s texture and themes.
- Reception praises performances yet flags overt sentimentality and predictability, and some releases use the international title Once Upon My Mother.