Danielle and Nikki are sisters whose lives have moved in different directions. Danielle murdered her husband and abandoned her baby, leaving little Cali to be adopted by sister Nikki. For her part, Nikki was a single mom and a widow. After marrying an attorney, Nikki and Jacob raise little Cali along with Becky, Nikki's daughter from her first marriage. And then, Danielle gets out of prison and returns home to wreak havoc.
One of the most sinister characters in the film is Beatrice, the wealthy grandma whose son was stabbed to death by Danielle. Beatrice has her own agenda to be granted guardianship of little Cali. Despite failing eyesight, Beatrice is determined have possession of the child by using to use her money in the legal arena and through the efforts of a private investigator to dig up evidence showing that Nikki is not a fit mother.
The filmmakers go to great lengths to portray Nikki as a good mom. But there are details in the film that call that premise into question. Nikki does not take a strong stand in keeping Danielle apart from Cali, agreeing to a meeting that opens the door for Danielle use her powers of persuasion to get the child back. When Danielle violates her restraining order, Nikki fails to call the police. Even in the film's denouement, Nikki still uses poor judgment by showing a letter to Cali written from prison by her deranged birth mother. That letter should have been kept away from the child until she attained her majority. The two sisters may be not be as different as the film suggests.
Overall, "A Mother's Crime" was an unpleasant film viewing experience. Danielle's oily boyfriend Gunner, who is led to believe that he might be Cali's father, is correctly identified by Nikki as a "deadbeat." Beatrice is repellent in almost every respect. One feels especially sorry for young Becky, whose developmental needs were not being met with Nikki devoting so much time to Cali. The happy ending was not only bittersweet, but even suggested that more problems may lie ahead for characters who cannot seem to avoid trouble.
One of the most sinister characters in the film is Beatrice, the wealthy grandma whose son was stabbed to death by Danielle. Beatrice has her own agenda to be granted guardianship of little Cali. Despite failing eyesight, Beatrice is determined have possession of the child by using to use her money in the legal arena and through the efforts of a private investigator to dig up evidence showing that Nikki is not a fit mother.
The filmmakers go to great lengths to portray Nikki as a good mom. But there are details in the film that call that premise into question. Nikki does not take a strong stand in keeping Danielle apart from Cali, agreeing to a meeting that opens the door for Danielle use her powers of persuasion to get the child back. When Danielle violates her restraining order, Nikki fails to call the police. Even in the film's denouement, Nikki still uses poor judgment by showing a letter to Cali written from prison by her deranged birth mother. That letter should have been kept away from the child until she attained her majority. The two sisters may be not be as different as the film suggests.
Overall, "A Mother's Crime" was an unpleasant film viewing experience. Danielle's oily boyfriend Gunner, who is led to believe that he might be Cali's father, is correctly identified by Nikki as a "deadbeat." Beatrice is repellent in almost every respect. One feels especially sorry for young Becky, whose developmental needs were not being met with Nikki devoting so much time to Cali. The happy ending was not only bittersweet, but even suggested that more problems may lie ahead for characters who cannot seem to avoid trouble.