it be my opinion that isabelle huppert be the fine actress to ever step infront of a camera . beautiful and unusual and talented beyond reason and able to convey more with a simple look than most actor can communicate in an entire film . in short and she be brilliant . even when her film lag she shin . her interest in explore the darker side of humanity have create some of the most memorable performance put to the screen . the piano teacher shine a her best work thus far . i be always quite excited whenever one of her film make it to the state . i be thrill when i be able to secure a dvd copy of ma mere ( yes and it be legally obtain . ) prior to it release in the state . the film be just bad . from the production value to the edit to the screenplay . the actor be all quite good and do their best with what they be give and and that isn not much . critic have shake their finger at huppert for finally go too far in her exploration of transgressive character and but i find this film to be more silly and comical than dark and shock . in addition and huppert be not even on the screen all that much . which be really a lucky break for her . this be one of those film which make me want to ask the film maker and his producer and his actor why they bother at all . tasteless and tacky and slow moving and un erotic and dull and uncomfortable for all the wrong reason this film fail on almost every level other than the performance give by the actor . be a french film and i do not think it be the intention of the director to create irony by his odd choice of play happy together by the turtle at the film end when we see the son masturbate next to the dead body of his mother . however and i be hard press to think what else could have be mean by this choice . on the dvd there be an interview with this seemingly untalented artist in which he say that he use that selection of music because the mother and son could only be happy when they be together and but this make no sense give the plot and ultimate outcome . interestingly and the dvd also contain an alternate end which would have be a good way to go and in my opinion . rather tell and a bit of this alternate end be use in the middle of the film in the context of the mid point of the film this scene make no sense . this leave me to think the honre hadn not a clue a to how he plan on put this mess together . perhaps the reason huppert make this film be to spend some time on the cannery islands she would have do good to just take a vacation and should have skip this film altogether . the choice of update the novel from which this film be somewhat base to modern time and shift it to these island be odd . in fact and much of the film seem to be make a negative statement about tourist and their impact on nature . fine and but how do this fit into the film . answer represent it doesn not . ma mere should not be dismiss pretentious and perverse and morally off track . instead and one can simply call ma mere a very bad cinematic mistake . but and why do isabelle huppert appear in this waste of good film stock . sad .