‘THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD’ (Berlinale 2025) A tense, compelling watch.

THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD

Anna Myuleart‘s Berlinale 2025 feature THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD tells the story of Gal, a trash sorter who escapes an abusive relationship with her five and nine-year-old children on the back of her cart.

Gal’s character has a Mary Poppins quality in creating magic for her kids. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!” The unrelenting motivation she provides for Rhianna and Benin puts most parents to shame. Gal’s palpable anxiety appears in moments when the kids are distracted and engaged in an activity. She does her best to guard them from reality and fear.

Lílis Soares‘ cinematography captures the unpredictable chaos of Brazilian streets and the immediacy of the little family’s fear. The music perfectly matches Gal’s inner thoughts. The sound mixing is spectacular. Alongside Myuleart’s screenplay, all these elements combined, the story’s intimacy screams off the screen.

Our two small leads, Rihanna Barbosa and Benin Ayo have a chemistry a director dies for. Their playful nature and natural talent are infectious. They are stars.

Shirley Cruz gives Gal a fully fleshed-out, flawed heroine. Cruz wears Gal’s inner turmoil on her face. Through her, Muylaert tackles the emotional conflict and misogyny attached to cyclical and generational abuse. It is challenging to witness her suffering. It is akin to watching an addict go through detox and then falling off the wagon.

An hour into the film, your heart drops. The conversation that follows should almost come with a trigger warning for survivors. Filled with gaslighting and classic abuser language, it will infuriate and break you. THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD captures invisible labor, unconditional love, cycles of abuse, and the determination to create a better life. It is a difficult but rewarding viewing experience and female-centric storytelling at its best.

THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD/ (A MELHOR MÃE DO MUNDO) Director: Anna Muylaert

World Premiere. World Premiere – Berlinale Special (Brazil/Argentina)

• Director
  • Anna Muylaert
• Screenplay
  • Anna Muylaert
• Cinematography
  • Lílis Soares
• Editing
  • Fernando Stutz
• Music
  • André Abujamra, 
  • George Nahssen
• Sound Design
  • Miriam Biderman, 
  • Ricardo Reis
• Production Design
  • Maíra Mesquita, 
  • Juliana Ribeiro
• Casting
  • Gabriel Domingues
• Producers
  • Tomás Darcyl, 
  • Ricardo Costianovsky, 
  • Clara Ramos, 
  • Bianca Villar, 
  • Karen Castanho, 
  • Fernando Fraiha, 
  • Anna Muylaert
• Executive Producers
  • Leonardo Mecchi, 
  • Deborah Nikaido

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