Film Movement

Mother, Couch

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This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Luke Insect) was limited to 500 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.

Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month Film Club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. In 2015, Film Movement launched the reissue label Film Movement Classics featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on home video, with an emphasis on films by auteur directors such as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway and Takeshi Kitano.

The members of a dysfunctional family find themselves mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store when their elderly matriarch (Ellen Burstyn) suddenly refuses to get up from one of the display couches. Reluctantly assembled, her three estranged children – David (Ewan McGregor), Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) – must figure out how to escape this bizarre predicament. With the help of the store managers, Marco & Marcus (F. Murray Abraham), and their daughter Bella (Taylor Russell) the siblings embark on a mind-bending odyssey that forces them to face life-altering truths about their own lives and upbringing. Boasting “sensational” performances from an “A-List cast" (Deadline), Mother, Couch marks director Niclas Larsson as "a major new voice breaking through in cinema" (Slash Film).

directed by: Niclas Larsson
starring: Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Taylor Russell, Ellen Burstyn, Lake Bell, Lara Flynn Boyle, F. Murray Abraham
2023 / 96 min / 2.40:1 / English DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
Commentary with director Niclas Larsson, producer Sarah Murphy, production designer, Mikael Varhelyi, editor Carla Luffe and composer Christopher Bear
Behind the Scenes Featurette
Booklet with an essay by film critic and historian Jason Bailey
English subtitles

Overall rating: 4.3958335 / 5 from 48 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Mother, Couch is a surreal art house film with a strong cast, receiving positive feedback for its unique storytelling and performances. The Blu-ray edition includes special features like commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Summary topics

Film Quality (34%): A substantial number of customers remarked that the film is great and enjoyable, making it a popular choice.
Cast Performance (17%): Many customers expressed appreciation for the cast, describing it as excellent, great, funny, and good.

Review topics: ["packaging","issues","film","cast","performances","release","movie","story","watch","drama","mother","thriller","slipcover"].

Review highlights

"Great cast and hilarious surreal film." — Hansi L.
"An excellent cast, so great to see Burnstyn and Abraham able to do this good work at their ages." — Donald M.
"This is a wonderfully surreal weird ass art house movie" — Mia M.

Reviews

Great cast and a fascinating

"Great cast and a fascinating film."

— Corey D. (5/5)

Captures the feeling well

"How strange to wrap a meditation in the outsized extremes of a parent's death in the trappings of a thriller, but god does it ever capture the feeling. This release surely isn't for everyone, but it's a beautifully arranged set for a movie that I can't believe more people haven't heard of."

— Kelsey G. (5/5)

A strange but entertaining journey

"Another very interesting release, some great performances by Ewan mcgregor. Definitely giving this one another watch soon."

— Nicholas V. (5/5)

Another Instance Of Fantastic Artwork Leading To A Blind Buy

"Had never heard of this film prior to this release, which is quite a surprise given the talent involved. But even if the cast and story hadn’t been so enticing, that Luke Insect slipcover art definitely would have sealed the deal on its own. That aside, this debut from Niclas Larsson will not be to everyone’s taste, and the trailer doesn’t do the best job of capturing the tone, but the performances deliver on his vision and it’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here. Commentary track fleshed out some ideas and made me appreciate it more."

— Maxim P. (3/5)

Artsy and Weird

"This is a very artsy comedy that also touched on deeper life issues. Worth it for Ellen Burstyn alone. I’d pick it up if you’re into the weird and quirky."

— Jeffrey L. (3/5)

A completely engaging, strange film with great performances

"A strange film - completely engaging while watching while I was wondering just what I was watching. Even at its finish, I'm still trying to figure it all out. An excellent cast, so great to see Burnstyn and Abraham able to do this good work at their ages. Cinematography is so well done, all interiors keep in mood with what's going on in the dialog. Script most definitely needs to be filtered as an intuitive response, it makes sense on an "I don't know what I know" level for the most part. I can't quite explain why, but it was really a satisfying watch - very thought-provoking."

— Donald M. (5/5)

Sit Down

"Great cast and some really interesting situations."

— Shawn M. (5/5)

Fun family thriller dramedy

"Entertaining release that is a blend of thriller, family dramedy, and a bit of surrealism toward the end that leaves the viewer to interpret the meaning. Fun cast with the great Ellen Burstyn, Ewan McGregor and F. Murray Abraham amongst others."

— Kresh R. (4/5)

Surreal Family Drama

"I know this film received mixed reviews, but I think those who gave it a low rating just didn't really pay attention. Basically, it is the story of a man who is trying to get his mother to leave a furniture store and she is refusing to leave. But in reality this scenario is just a metaphor for a man who is working through a lot of family trauma as his mother is passing away. There is a lot of symbolism throughout the movie. Just about everything they say or do really has a deeper meaning. We find out that the mother was really a terrible mother and the son is very faithful to her anyway, even if she doesn't deserve it. I don't want to give away too much, but he does seem to have some breakthroughs NY the end of the movie. I enjoyed it and if you like family dramas and surreal arthouse movies, I recommend seeing this one."

— Christopher K. (5/5)

Surreal Family Strife

"A dysfunctional-family dramedy that grows increasingly surreal as it encompasses issues of withheld maternal love, estranged siblings, strained marriage, the cycle of neglect and abuse, loss & grief, and familial secrets, Mother, Couch relies on tour-de-force performances from Ewan MacGregor and Ellen Burstyn for its slightly underwritten emotional heart and a scene-stealing one from Taylor Russell that is as charming as it is alluring. The furniture store setting is a unique one that tinges the premise with quirk and alienation, and the plot, about an elderly mother of three estranged half-siblings who sits down on a display sofa and refuses to budge, offers the surrealism a jumping-off point from which to funhouse-mirror the ensuing familial strife. Overall, the narrative could have used some clarification or more delineation between the real and the absurdist, but the performances largely sell the grand emotions being distorted beyond recognition, and the surrealism eventually lands on a recognizable metaphor that grounds what has come before in somber tones. It might not have provided exactly the catharsis I needed as one with a complicated mother relationship, but I recognized the notes, and it does at least strive for something off the beaten path."

— Michael S. (3/5)