The Mother's Soul (2011): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2011, The Mother's Soul is a drama film directed by Pham Nhue Giang, running about 92 minutes. “The film based on Nguyen Huy Thiep's 1980s short story of the same name.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Lan and her daughter Thu live in a lowland area in the middle of the Red river delta. Their typical day’s work includes going to the Long Bien Market very early in the morning to buy wholesale groceries and resell them back in a local market later during the day. Thu’s mother falls in love with a driver, a relation that has no future. However, she loves him so much that she does not make wise decisions and thus her business is operating at a loss. Thu tries to help her mother to make both ends meet. She longs for her mother’s affection and in order to make up for such a loss of love from her mother, she devotes her affection to a close classmate, who she wants to be her son. Like Thu, Dang lacks mother’s love as he is an orphan. With a strong personality, sense of responsibility, and love, Thu successfully convinces Dang to consider her as his mother with the best heart.

Who’s in it. The Mother's Soul stars Hồng Ánh as Lan, Phùng Hoa Hoài Linh as Thu, Nguyễn Bách Tùng Lâm as Đăng and Trương Minh Quốc Thái as Lái xe, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Mother's Soul page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Mother's Soul tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.