Considered one of the purest and most divine relationships, a mother-son dynamic is also complex, thanks to the Oedipus complex. But that doesn’t mean films have only used this POV when it comes to aiming at the relation shared between a mother and a son. There is

no limit to the extent a mother’s love can go, and the same goes for her son. In this article, we bring you such movies which offer different outlooks on the dynamic. All of these are available for streaming on Netflix.

18. Sinister 2 (2015)

Ciarán Foy’s supernatural horror film ‘Sinister 2’ tells the story of a single mother and her twin sons whose house is haunted by an evil entity fueled by three things: a murdered family, a house, and an offering in the form of art, like a record, radio, or even a book. Courtney and her sons Dylan and Zach are scared out of their wits by the entity that has made them its next target. A private investigator, So-and-So, is investigating the murders associated with a malevolent deity called Bughuul. He comes to Courtney’s door, and soon enough, this takes the shape of a fight for survival. The use of several types of film and sound media, such as 16 mm film, vinyl records, and ham radio, to shed light on the narrative makes an otherwise passable horror movie interesting, though not for the faint-hearted, because it is quite gory. ‘Sinister 2’ can be streamed here.

17. Honeymoon Crasher (2025)

In Nicola Cuche’s French comedy ‘Honeymoon Crasher,’ a heartbroken man, Lucas, left stranded at the altar by his fiancée, goes on his honeymoon with his mother, Lily. It takes a honeymoon trip for Lucas and Lily to realize all that’s wrong in their relationship, one they had to lie about to the hotel authorities to avail their “honeymoon couple” services. Underneath all the fun that comes with the duo making the most of their trip, there is a poignant clash of emotions that results from a vacuum in their affection for each other. Starring Julien Frison as Lucas and Michèle Laroque as Lily, ‘Honeymoon Crasher’ is a heartwarming mom-son movie with ample stuff to binge, banter, and, God forbid, bicker about. You can watch it here.

16. Mother’s Day (2023)

A Polish action thriller directed by Mateusz Rakowicz, ‘Mother’s Day’ stars Agnieszka Grochowska, Adrian Delikta, Sebastian Dela, Szymon Wróblewski, and Dorota Kolak. It follows Nina, a former NATO Special Operations agent who has gone into hiding and watches her son Maks, whom she gave up for adoption years ago to keep him safe, celebrate his birthday every year from afar. While she wishes to be with him, she is content in knowing and seeing that he is safe. But things take a drastic turn when Maks gets kidnapped by a dangerous gang dealing in drugs and human trafficking. What follows is how Nina puts her skills into effect and rescues her son, only to get involved in a complex plot wherein she has to do things that are against her conscience. You can watch the film here.

15. Bruised (2020)

Starring Halle Berry, who also is the director, ‘Bruised’ tells the story of disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice, who now works as a house cleaner. But when her mother brings her six-year-old son, whom she hasn’t seen since he was an infant, Jackie has no option but to accept him. The little boy stopped speaking due to the trauma that resulted from his father, Jackie’s ex-boyfriend, being killed. As the movie proceeds, we see how being with Manny changes Jackie for the better and helps her regain her former strength, not just as a fighter but as a person, as well as get over her traumatic past. You can stream the film here.

14. Camp Crasher (2024)

Martino Zaidelis’ Spanish drama ‘Camp Crasher’ centers on Patri (Natalia Oreiro), a mother who decides to let go of her controlling avatar and reconnect with her 13-year-old son Ramiro (Milo Lis) after realizing he is desperate to move in with his father. She thus volunteers to drive Ramiro and his friends to school camp after the driver’s drug test results positive. With the length of the trip at her disposal, she has to ensure that Ramiro realizes how important he is to her. A sweet and heartfelt bingeworthy drama that explores a mother-son dynamic in a TV-14 manner, ‘Camp Crasher’ can be streamed right here.

13. Otherhood (2019)

Helmed by Cindy Chupack, ‘Otherhood’ is about three mothers and their sons. Starring Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman, the film shows how the mothers meet up and sympathize with each other on every Mother’s Day for their sons, who do not remember them and make them feel they are not loved. However, they finally decide to go on a road to their sons and reconnect. In this journey, they not only realize the importance of the new dynamic that has been forged between each mother-son pair but also that they need to change to be a better version of themselves. How they undergo this change and bear fruitful realizations is what we see in the movie. It is based on William Sutcliffe’s 2008 novel ‘Whatever Makes You Happy.’ You can stream it here.

12. The Woman in the Line (2025)

‘The Woman in the Line’ (a mujer de la fila) is a Spanish movie that showcases a mother’s love. With a narrative so rare and heart-wrenching, the drama goes into action when Andrea’s (Natalia Oreiro) teenage son Gustavo (Federico Heinrich) is arrested by the cops. Feeling that he is innocent, she starts working on how to get him out. However, she is only one of the many women in line. When she comes in to see Gustavo, she finds other women who have also waited to see their loved ones who were put behind bars. While going through the shock and the realization that her problem is not singular and she has to share her panic with those around her, she has to make hard decisions if she wants her son out, decisions that can compromise her morality. Find out if she is successful as you can stream ‘The Woman in the Line’ right here.

11. Dear Mother (2020)

This French film, by Laurent Lafitte, is based on Sebastien Thiéry’s 2013 play ‘The Origin of the World.’ The movie addresses the estranged relationship between a son, who has a wife, and his old mother, peculiarly. When Jean-Louis finds out that his heart has stopped working, he looks for a way to cure his weird condition. While his heart has stopped working, everything else is just fine. Then, a spiritual guru suggests to him that it is his strained relationship with his mother that is the cause of this. The only way for him to come out of the situation is to take a picture of his mother’s vagina. A ludicrous film that is underscored by a midlife crisis that can be “heartless,” ‘Dear Mother’ offers an intriguing watch. You can do so right here.

10. Honeymoon With My Mother (2022)

This Paco Caballero-directed film shows just what the title says. When José Luis’ fiancée leaves him at the altar and runs off with another man, José’s expectations come crashing down. His overprotective mother, Mari Carmen, decides not to let her son brood over what has happened and joins him on his otherwise botched honeymoon trip to Mauritius. While José doesn’t enjoy the time at all, his mother has the time of her life, and that enables him to know a side of his mom that he never knew existed, nor did their family. You can stream the film here.

9. Pamela, a Love Story (2023)

A documentary film directed by Ryan White, it is based on the life of model/actress Pamela Anderson. We get to see her early life, her career, and her ups and downs, both in her personal and professional life, all in her own words, and also we get to know about her relationship with her two sons, something that she cherishes more than anything else. The recipient of two nominations at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, you can stream ‘Pamela, a Love Story’ here.

8. The Crimes That Bind (2020)

Helmed by Sebastián Schindel, ‘The Crimes That Bind’ is a Spanish psychological thriller that is bound to take you by surprise. On the front, it is about a mother, Alicia, who desperately tries to support her 35-year-old son, Daniel, who has been convicted of the attempted murder of his ex-wife. But underneath, we have a more complex situation in the form of another court case, which is connected to her son’s case, wherein the mother’s live-in maid, Gladys, is convicted of killing her newborn child. How these two cases are connected and how Alicia responds to them are what make this film a worthy watch. You can stream ‘The Crimes That Bind’ here.

7. Lion’s Den (2008)

Pablo Trapero’s Argentine drama ‘Lion’s Den’ (‘Leonera’) centers on Julia, a pregnant woman sent to prison after being seemingly falsely convicted of murder. Her state lands her in the maternal section of the prison, where she gives birth to a boy. As troublesome as the situation is and as mentally broken Julia herself is, her baby and the women around her help her cope with it all, making her feel better and bringing a smile to her face. However, reality strikes back now and then to remind her of where she is, testing her patience, rage, and pain. Starring Martina Gusmán, who is brilliant as Julia, ‘Lion’s Den’ paints a poignant and compelling portrait of a mother-son relationship, which serves as the base for the narrative. You can watch the film here.

6. Agneepath (1990)

Directed by Mukul S. Anand, ‘Agneepath’ is an Indian Hindi-language drama starring Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan. As a kid, Vijay vows revenge on ganglord Kancha Cheena (Danny Denzongpa) after the latter gets his father lynched and killed. He then grows up to be a gangster himself, bent on reclaiming his home village from Kancha, now old, who has been using it for drug smuggling. While Vijay’s lifestyle seems to be his only way to seek justice for his father’s death, it pushes him away from his mother, Suhasini (Rohini Hattangadi), who is completely against his ways. Struggling to be accepted by his mother while navigating the dangerous path of crime, Vijay’s journey is full of pain, heartbreak, and irony. A cult classic in Indian cinema, ‘Agneepath’ is a must-watch for its exploration of a mother-son relationship against the backdrop of crime. You can watch it here.

5. Family of Two (2023)

This moving Philippine drama talks about a bittersweet mother-son relationship. Maricar, played by Sharon Cuneta, and her son Mateo, played by Alden Richards, are more than happy in their small world, sharing and caring for each other in a way that is almost envious. But things do get rather tumultuous once Mateo decides to move to Singapore with his partner. He wants someone to look after his mother the way he has, but his mother doesn’t need anyone if not him. It’s the conversations this tug-of-feelings results in which make ‘Family of Two’ a very intimate mom-son drama. Directed by Nuel Crisostomo Naval, it received five nominations at the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, winning one. You can watch the film here.

4. A Hundred Flowers (2022)

Genki Kawamura’s Japanese drama ‘A Hundred Flowers’ deals with a mother-son bond that gets torn apart by the latter’s Alzheimer’s. Izumi cannot believe that his mother, Yuriko, is forgetting him piece by piece. The pain it brings requires him to revisit the old feeling of the time she abandoned him. But he knows well how much Yuriko loves him, for she brought him up all by herself. As time moves ahead or runs out, Izumi finds himself tackling inexplicable emotions made of anger, pain, love, and trauma while taking care of Yuriko. Starring Mieko Harada and Masaki Suda, ‘A Hundred Flowers’ is a poignant mother-son drama that can move you to your core. You can watch it here.

3. The Children’s Train (2024)

Set during the Treni della felicità (‘trains of happiness’) initiative by the Italian Communist Party after World War II, Cristina Comencini’s ‘The Children’s Train’ tells the story of an indigent single mother, played by Serena Rossi, as she sends her 8-year-old son, played by Christian Cervone, north to have a better life. However, while the kid lives with a rich woman who is very reluctant to be his caretaker, he remembers his mother through her lessons and learns some new things while waiting for reunification. Poignant in a way that it reminds one of one of the most tragic periods in human history and its aftermath, ‘The Children’s Train’ will bring a smile to your face and tears to your eyes with its depiction of the resilience of innocence in the face of adversity. Based on a novel of the same name by Viola Ardone, the film can be streamed here.

2. Mother (2020)

From director Tatsushi Omori comes a moving thriller drama that explores a toxic mother-son relationship rooted in single mother Akiko’s unsteady control over her son Shuhei and her life choices, something that he can only give into so much. And when he finally chooses to go beyond, things get out of hand, and he makes a shocking mistake. But is he responsible for it? Or is it her mom? ‘Mother’ is bound to affect you with its roller coaster of emotions. You can watch it here.

1. Zero To Hero (2021)

Directed by Jimmy Wan, this is a Chinese biographical sports flick based on the life of Hong Kong’s first Paralympic Games gold-winner, So Wa Wai. In the film, we see how his fierce bond with his dedicated mother ultimately led to him overcoming his limits formed by cerebral palsy and becoming a world champion. While we get to see Wa Wai’s physical and personal struggles, we are also subjected to the immense emotional strength offered by his mom, which often takes the shape of threats. However, Wa Wai’s love for his mother remains the same throughout. An emotionally gripping film, ‘Zero To Hero’ is a must-watch mother-son flick that you can stream right here. Read More: Best Father-Son Movies on Netflix