MOMMYS BOYS is a film about a cruel mother – and the grip she still holds on her five adult sons more than 20 years after her death.
Shortly after their mother’s passing, Adrian Hughes, the second youngest, discovered a bitter farewell letter on her computer. In the letter, she expressed deep disappointment with her three eldest sons, while the two youngest – including Adrian – were hailed as the great joy and pride of her life. She ended with the chilling words: “I’ll be back!”
Since then, Adrian has tried to understand his mother’s unhappy, alcoholic life – and the hateful letter she left behind – through both a podcast and a book. Jette grew up in the 1950s as the adopted daughter of one of Copenhagen’s most influential men, construction mogul Thorval Dreyer, but was pushed to the sidelines by his succession of wives. She later married Welshman Hywel and had five sons, but when the marriage broke down, Hywel moved abroad. Jette was left alone with the children, struggling in vain to find love again while gradually drowning in her alcoholism.
In the film, Jette most certainly does come back – embodied by Asta August (as the younger version) and Birthe Neumann (as the older) – as she is held accountable for the letter that still haunts her sons. At the same time, the now 96-year-old Hywel, appearing as himself, is confronted for the first time with his role as a father, while Jakob Cedergren portrays him in his younger years.
Mommys Boys is a raw tale of a mother and her sons, but the film is also laced with humor.