AMERICAN INDIES

MOTHER, COUCH!

2023 / 96 min / color

Not many first-time filmmakers get to work with the kind of star-studded cast that Swedish director Niclas Larsson brings together for Mother, Couch! The lead roles are played by Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, and Rhys Ifans. The surprising screenplay is likely what attracted their interest. It’s simple but highly original: almost everything in Larsson’s story revolves around the titular characters: a mother and a couch. It all starts with a family visit to a vintage furniture store. The character played by Burstyn sits down on a sofa for sale and announces that she has no intention of ever getting up from it again. As viewers, we’re as bewildered as her adult children, who get into a heated discussion about how to handle this conundrum. David, played by McGregor, is the one who tries hardest to get control of the situation. The negotiations between them become the impetus for unraveling a complicated, resentful relationship between mother and son.

• Göteborg FF – Dragon Award