Anytime you venture home, you need to face the ghosts that live there.
Directed, co-written and starring Kristin Scott Thomas My Mother’s Wedding follows sisters Katherine, Victoria and Georgina (Scarlett Johannson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham) as they prepare to return home for the wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas). However, every return home can unearth forgotten traumas from their lives, especially weddings. As such, while the three sisters prepare for their mother’s impending nuptials, they must confront their past in order to help them find a way forward into the future.
My Mother’s Wedding is a delightful dive into the dynamics of family and the ways that we interact with our history. With a cast as strongly assembled as this one, it’s no surprise that all four women do an excellent job. Struggling with her past (and her current relationship), Johannson’s performance contains a certain instability that we’re not used to seeing in her work. As Hollywood starlet Victoria, Miller oozes confidence that borders on naivete while Beecham’s Georgina seems almost fragile, having played the role of the ‘good daughter’ who ‘stayed home’. And, in the midst of their chaos, matriarch Scott Thomas steadies them all. Every character contains a delightful mix of charm and brokenness that makes the film endearing.
For her directorial debut, Scott Thomas wisely sticks to what she knows (literally). Based on her personal childhood experiences, the film is an opportunity for Scott Thomas to tell her own story in her own way. There’s a confidence in her filmmaking that shines through, especially as it pertains to her use of animation. Through the use of simple animated sketches, the director creates a sort of dream space that feels genuine. Although they are mere shadows of reality, these memories never seem anything but honest.
At the same time though, Wedding plays with that very same authenticity of memory. Scott Thomas recognizes that we all have a tendency to remember the past in an incomplete way. We cling to the things that we believe matter to us, either rightly or wrongly. But Wedding reminds us that these moments that we hold on to aren’t always entirely the full story. Without giving any spoilers, there are more to these memories than Katherine understands. With each discovery, Katherine’s vision of the past is challenged to include more details.
In no way do these new additions nullify her childhood experiences… but they do flesh out the truth.
As a result, Wedding manages to hold nostalgia accountable for its own fallibility. Here, every character appears to struggle with some form of holding on to their past. Katherine clings to her name yet she doesn’t entirely understand the history behind it. Victoria finds herself torn between the love she missed and the love that stands in front of her. In fact, even Georgina’s marital situation is based on her own willingness to look past the truth for the ‘sake of the family’. All of these young women may be confident and strong but, rightly or wrongly, they also struggle to let go.
In the end, there’s an undeniable charm to My Mother’s Wedding that’s infectious. Even when these characters are dealing with their personal struggles, the environment never feels anything but inviting. There’s a humour and warmth to this family that makes them relatable and, most importantly, enjoyable to watch. Although they may not be your family, there’s something about this group that feels like you already know them. And it’s that relatability that makes it worth attending the Wedding.
My Mother’s Wedding is available in theatres on Friday, August 8th, 2025.
