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© DR - MOTHER & CHILD de Rodrigo García(2010). p2
27/10/2012 17:09
Samuel Jackson,dans un rôle sympa (je préfère)
et Naomi Watts...un rôle difficile qui demandait beaucoup de finesse,
de sensibilité,d'intelligence et de talent ce qu'elle a sans aucun doute
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Résumé Wiki
Los Angeles. Le parcours de deux femmes dont l'une, âgée de 50 ans a, 35 ans auparavant, abandonné sa fille, et l'autre, une afro- américaine, cherche à adopter un bébé.
**
Fiche technique
Titre original : Mother and Child
Réalisation : Rodrigo García
Scénario : Rodrigo García
Décors : Christopher Tandon
Costumes : Susie DeSanto
Directeur de la photographie : Xavier Pérez Grobet
Montage : Steven Weisberg
Musique : Edward Shearmur
Producteurs : Julie Lynn, Alejandro González Inárritu
Société de production : Everest Entertainment
Pays d’origine : États-Unis, Espagne
Langue : anglais
Genre : Drame
Date de sortie :
Canada 14 septembre 2009 (Toronto International Film Festival)
États-Unis 7 novembre 2009 (Virginia Film Festival)
France 9 septembre 2010 (Deauville American Festival Film)
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La critique frenchy
3 femmes
Grand prix du Festival du film américain de Deauville 2010, « Mother and child » est un poignant récit en forme de puzzle. Car si l'on s'interroge, on ignore tout de même un temps ce qui peut bien relier les trois femmes, toutes différentes, dont on suit les existences désenchantées de manière parallèle. Il y a d'abord la bosseuse célibataire, qui aime à se comporter comme les hommes qu'elle croise, en manipulatrice et en adversaire. Elle se laisserait bien séduire par son patron, beaucoup plus âgé (Samuel L. Jackson, classieux patron de cabinet...), mais ne serait-ce pas dans un but carriériste ?
Il y a ensuite la célibataire endurcie, blessée par les hommes, recluse dans sa haine de façade, qui se définit elle-même comme « pas facile »... et qui aimerait avoir le courage de se laisser approcher par un séduisant médecin. Enfin, il y a la jeune idéaliste, issue de la minorité noire, qui sait ce qu'elle veut - un enfant - et ira jusqu'à une franchise suicidaire lorsque la mère porteuse lui demande si elle croit en Dieu. Car dans un pays comme les Etats Unis, l'aveu d'athéisme n'a rien d'évident, et s'avère prendre un risque...
Si l'on finit par deviner certaines choses à l'avance, c'est justement parce que chacune va bien entendu changer de regard sur la vie en générale, voire sur sa propre existence... Mais rien ne se passera certainement comme on l'aurait imaginé, car la subtilité du scénario de Rodrigo Garcia est de ne jamais faire se rencontrer ces personnages, dont les vies sont pourtant connectées, ou le seront... Le trio d'actrices, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, Annette Bening est tout simplement bluffant, la troisième décrochant par avance son ticket pour les prochains oscars, grâce à un rôle alliant agressivité de façade et tendresse.
Sa jolie scène sur la pelouse, où elle retrouve enfin le sourire, se passe à merveille de dialogues et de commentaires. Il se dégage globalement, une tristesse infinie au travers des solitudes de ces trois personnages, dans leur manière d'être finalement coupés des autres. Et Rodrigo Garcia, dont le premier film était « Ce que je sais d'elle... d'un simple regard » et déjà réalisateur de « Fathers en son » a su les amener vers une évolution, non sans douleur.
Olivier bachelard
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© DR - MOTHER & CHILD de Rodrigo García(2010). p3
27/10/2012 17:13
Photo à droite Kerry Washington (SHE HATE ME etc...)
Cast
Annette Bening : Karen
Naomi Watts : Elizabeth
Kerry Washington : Lucy
Samuel L. Jackson : Paul, le directeur du cabinet d'avocats
Jimmy Smits : Paco, le collègue de Karen
Cherry Jones : sœur Joanne
Shareeka Epps : Ray, la jeune femme enceinte
LaTanya Richardson : Carol, la mère de Lucy
Elpidia Carrillo : Sofia, l'employée latina
Tatyana Ali : Maria, la fille de Paul
Brittany Robertson : Violet, la jeune aveugle
David Ramsey : le compagnon de Lucy
Amy Brenneman : le docteur Stone
Marc Blucas : Steven, le mari dans le couple voisin d'Elizabeth
Carla Gallo : Tracy, la femme dans le couple voisin d'Elizabeth
Eileen Ryan : Nora, la mère de Karen
David Morse : Tom, l'ancien petit ami de Karen
Simone Lopez : Cristi, la fille de Sofia
Ahmed Best : Julian
S. Epatha Merkerson : Ada
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La critique US des spectateurs ImDB
Pitch Perfect & Sensitively Directed
Author: Movie-Jay from Toronto, Canada
22 September 2009
*
Caught this one at TIFF, and it was one of the best movies of the festival. Rodrigo Garcia directed "Nine Lives", which may be familiar to some audiences. That one was from 2005 and wove together a series of short vignettes. Garcia has a wonderful sensibility at portraying female characters in that one, and in "Mother & Child" he builds upon it even further as the movie centers around the theme of adoption and how it affects three adult women, played by Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, and Kerri Washington.
I suppose this will get the "chick flick" label upon it's release, but for any lover of good dramas with characters you can sink your teeth into, that shouldn't matter, and besides, when did it become unfashionable for grown men to see movies with attractive female stars in them? There isn't a false moment or a scene that doesn't ring true, and I found myself so involved in the particularities of all the characters we meet that it no longer mattered to me what happened next, it was more interesting to get inside the shoes and take a walk inside the lives of these characters, so well fleshed out by all the stars here.
So many big movies from America often feature adults behaving like children, and so it's ultimately refreshing and quite moving to follow the characters in "Mother & Child" who are going through very adult problems and acting like adults throughout, even if sometimes they fall or crack or are flawed.I think Bening and Watts, playing two very complicated and difficult women, should be nominated for Oscars. This movie takes material that could have been dumbed down and made into a TV movie of the week, but instead Rodrigo Garcia elevates the film by really listening to his characters.
A wonderful movie, not just for women, but for all adults who like good movies, and for all film-goers who especially like "hyperlink" movies, that is, movies that deal with a multitude of characters while letting each of them take the wheel of the car. Terrific.
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© DR - MOTHER & CHILD de Rodrigo García(2010). p4
27/10/2012 17:16
Annette Benning
(carrément extra-or-di-naire dans ce rôle)
*
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La critique US des spectateurs ImDB
Garcia's Mothers
Author: roastmary-1 (torianrose.usa@gmail.com) from United States
30 April 2010
Rodrigo Garcia, the writer, director of "Mother And Child" is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez no less but his universe is solidly set on a reality that doesn't shy away from poetry. A poetry emerging from an open female heart. Wanting and longing for things we lost, for thing we let out of our lives. Annette Bening is superb. Superb! "She's 38 today" Annette tells her failing mother, talking about the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was merely 14.
Naomi Watts is the long lost daughter and she is an updated version of the mother she never knew. Naomi Watts confirms, once more, her extraordinary range. The film works on every level and we live the changes the characters suffer with a palpitating heart of recognition.The entire cast is outstanding with Samuel L Jackson giving a performance that is a revelation in itself. Gentle, strong, moving, powerful and funny. A film I highly recommend.
Oustanding drama and colorblind casting
Author: raberbailey from Los Angeles, CA
17 April 2010
*
Wow, where do I begin? Well, let me say that I went to the screening after hearing a friend rant and rave about how good it is. Being of the dude species I said to myself it's another chick-flick, but since homegirl couldn't stop talking about how good it was I decided to check it out anyway.I'm thrilled to say that I am beyond happy that I did. This movie is the BOMB if you appreciate excellent acting, writing, directing and casting. I could go on and on but that's the bottom line.
Well, I do have one more thought. I just hope and pray that come Oscar time - because "Mother and Child" is being released now (Spring, 2010) - that it will somehow not be overlooked.If you like excellent movie making of the drama variety, go see this film!
Hollywood doesn't necessarily have to be formulaic and predictable
Looking initially like your typical women audience's movie, "Mother and child" can almost be described as innovative, albeit in a subtle and minimalism fashion.With a prologue of a teenage (barely, at 14) pregnancy that seems a rather favourite plot line these days, this movie follows three separate stories, of which the ultimate convergence of two can be detected almost immediately, while the third continues to remain at a distance until almost close to the end.
But then right from the beginning, there is a shared theme: unwanted pregnancy and one of its common solutions – offer for adoption.In the first one, middle-aged Annette Bening is spinster Karen who is struggling with a strained relationship with her invalid mother Nora. This is compounded by the fact that the hired Latin domestic help Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo) seems to have taken over her place as the recipient of her mother's affection and trust. An added aggravation is that Sofia needs to bring to work her otherwise unattended little daughter, another rival for Nora's attention.
At the work front (Karen is a physiotherapist), the arrival of a gentle, caring co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) stirs up in her emotional life ripples that at times turn stormy. As events unfold, the fact that Karen turns out to be the pregnant teenager in the prologue is of course not a surprise. I won't go into some of the key events in this plot line. Suffices to say that after some soul-searching and self-discovery, Karen goes to Sister Joanne (Cherry Jones, Molly Star in "Ocean's Twelve") who arranged the adoption over 30 years ago, seeking help to establish contact with a daughter that she has never seen.
Naomi Watts is a mid-thirtyish, successful lawyer Elizabeth, stunningly beautiful, ruthlessly aggressive, moving from job to job (and town to town) every few years, unattached, valuing her independence above all else. She prefers to report to a man as women bosses "find her threatening". The latest such male boss is Paul (Samuel L. Jackson), recently bereaved, with grown children but still dashingly attractive. As a plot line, development of sexual relationship between the two is almost mandatory. Although with this man, Elizabeth seems to find the closest thing to love she has ever experienced, she is not going to give up her independence and customary sexual freedom with men.
Right from her very first scene, the interview with Paul, it is made clear to the audience that Elizabeth is the daughter that Karen gave up for adoption over thirty years ago. The key development here is Elizabeth getting pregnant, which she thinks is impossible as she had this attended to in a cross-border medical visit (she was then 17, a minor). The miracle of carry another life in her sets Elizabeth's mind on looking for her biological mother. Yes, again. Sister Joanne comes into the picture.
The third plot line develops around Lucy (Kerry Washington, best remember by many as Della Bea Robinson in "Ray") who is unable to give her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) a child. The couple decides on adoption and with the help of Sister Joanne (obviously) goes through a search that turns out to be tempestuously traumatic. As mentioned, the convergence of this third plot line with the others is not obvious and does not come about until close to the end, with a plot twist.
While the above might appear to be a reasonably comprehensive synopsis, there is a lot of details that I have omitted, details of importance both to plot development and to the understanding of the protagonists. Similarly omitted are relatively minor characters such as the doctor that initially diagnosed Elizabeth's pregnancy (Amy Brenneman whom you should remember if you have seen "The Jane Austen Book Club") or the Karen's teenager lover now met in a chance re-encounter (David Morse). There are just too many for me to mention all here. One very remarkable thing is that each one of this large ensemble of characters perform the roles with such attention and dedication as if it were a lead role. The wonderful result is plain to be seen. The three leads are simply superb, all Oscar-worthy.
It's Time Spent Together That Counts
Author: Chrysanthepop from Fraggle Rock
18 February 2011
*
Rodrigo Garcia's 'Mother and Child' is one of the most moving poetic films I have seen of recent times. Garcia's previous films comprised of short vignettes and, on the surface, 'Mother and Child' appears that way. Though the connection between Elizabeth's story and Karen's story is apparent, the other subplots initially appear as though they have no link to Karen and Elizabeth.
While there have been numerous movies of intertwined lives and stories, only few films have managed to have strong links and 'Mother and Child' is one of them and in addition the link between the stories is very significant and it's beautifully done. Moreover the twists and turns are superb. Rodrigo Garcia truly has created a treasure here. His eloquent writing breathes poetry as the story of his characters' lives unfold.
Every single character, even the minor ones, are excellently fleshed out.The execution is just as wonderful. The art direction, cinematography, editing and lighting is first rate. The soundtrack is simply amazing.Each and every one of the actors does nothing short of fantastic and they deliver some of their finest performances. Annette Bening and Naomi Watts are spellbinding as the mother and daughter, two lost souls leading fractured lives until they gradually find purpose.
Kerry Washington is superb as the wannabe mother desperate to have a child while being unaware of the challenges of motherhood. Jimmy Smits is terrific. Garcia's regulars, Elizabeth Peña, Elpidia Carillo and Amy Brenneman are very effective in brief roles and Cherry Jones is brilliant.'Mother and Child' offers the viewer what they don't know they were looking for in a film. While it is no surprise how many gems are overlooked by people because of lack of recognition, it's a shame that this precious little film falls under this category. I couldn't recommend it more and it's become among my favourites.
Superb new offering from Rodrigo Garcia
Author: rbm13 from Canada
15 September 2009
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere of "Mother and Child" at the Toronto International Film Festival last night. This film is outstanding in every way, and proves once again (after "Nine Lives" and "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her") that Rodrigo Garcia is a master of the complex story about intersecting lives and relationships. This story is about three women: Karen (Annette Bening), Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), the daughter whom she gave up for adoption, and Lucy (Kerry Washington), a woman wanting to adopt a child of her own.
The film weaves a tapestry of truths about the sometimes heartbreaking nature of mother-child relationships, and about the almost unshakable power of that bond. It has many poignant moments and is garnished with subtle humour. There is not a single false moment in the film. The cast is outstanding, without exception, but Bening, Watts, and Washington each deliver Oscar-worthy performances, and Garcia deserves the highest recognition as both screenwriter and director. Bravo !
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© DR - MOTHER & CHILD de Rodrigo García(2010). p5
27/10/2012 17:24
Même la petite fille -Simone Lopez-est convaincante (j'ai du mal avec les enfants/acteurs...)
Autour du film
-Le rôle d'Elizabeth devait être initialement attribué à l'actrice américaine Robin Wright Penn, avant qu'elle ne refuse et soit remplacée par Naomi Watts.
-Eileen Ryan, qui interprète la mère d'Annette Bening, est dans la vie la mère de Sean Penn, et elle interprète la mère de Naomi Watts dans L'Assassinat de Richard Nixon, film dont rôle principal est tenu par ... Sean Penn.
-Samuel L. Jackson et LaTanya Richardson se sont connus, dans la vie, pendant leurs études, se sont mariés, et ont eu une fille nommée Zoe.
Récompenses
Grand prix du Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville 2010 (c'est TOUT ?!!!!!)
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La critique US des spectateurs ImDB
A top-notch and deeply moving film
Author: mlmac
14 October 2009
Mother and Child was the best movie I saw at the Toronto International Film Festival — and I saw 25.
Annette Bening is staggeringly brilliant in her role. She's a prickly and largely unappealing character, but the actress brings such humanity to the performance as a woman whose heart is slowly coming to life. Naomi Watts also brings nuance and humanity to a flawed and complex character. In a world where characters must always be "likeable," these performances feel like revelations.
*
Direction is consistently sensitive and intelligent. The script deftly moves between three worlds, with intersections that are surprising and never feel forced. If Mother and Child doesn't garner wide distribution (and an Oscar nod for Ms. Bening) then this industry is deeply flawed.
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Sixty degrees of separation
Author: Chris Knipp from Berkeley, California
2 June 2010
*
Obviously orphanhood is a painful condition, as is lifelong separation from one's child. Adoption is a momentous undertaking, potentially beautiful for all concerned but fraught with risks of heartbreak. These are worthy but dangerous subjects for a movie; and despite good intentions and formidable actors, this one goes badly astray, though it's not without powerful moments.
'Mother and Child' is one of those manipulative stories about angst-ridden folks in LA whose lives turn out to be intertwined. It's not surprising to find it was produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu, though word from Cannes says his own latest film, 'Biutiful,' is straightforward and linear. Iñárritu himself directed the compellingly gritty and loosely connected multi-strand movie 'Amores Perros,' then veered into pretentious pseudo-complexity with more multiple-layered and polyglot storytelling in '21 Grams' and 'Babel.'
The popularity among ambitious filmmakers of this genre can be partly traced to the success of the 2004 Paul Haggis film 'Crash ' (also set in a tormented and multi-ethnic, multi-racial Los Angeles), which won three Oscars, including Best Picture, pushing out the more worthy, but less successfully button-pushing 'Brokeback Mountain.'
'Mother and Child' has a fine cast headed by Naomi Watts (who was in '21 Grams', and so is a veteran of orchestrated anomie), Annette Benning, and Samuel L. Jackson, and includes strong performances by Cherry Jones as a kindly nun, Kerry Washington as an eager young women bent on adoption, and Jimmy Smits as one of several implausibly saintly people. These stand by at the right moments, patiently awaiting their opportunity to make everything right again, for the moment when all the chess pieces fall into the right pattern and the game is over.
It's hard to describe the movie in detail because its success as suspenseful entertainment hinges on the way its three or four main plots come together. If we knew ahead of time how and why the various narratives were going to mesh the film would seem flat and hopelessly manipulative -- which, in fact, it is, manipulative anyway. It's not so much flat as cloyingly sentimental and at the same time, in certain moments early on, decidedly creepy. What I can tell you is that a better title for the early stages of the movie might be Neurotic Women.
One theme is estrangement, another, adoption. Motherhood seems alternatively a pathology, and a condition hopelessly longed for and never achieved. The character played by Annette Benning is cruel, abrupt, almost pathological.So is Naomi Watts,who is also coldly manipulative. Some of the things that Naomi Watts' character does early on seem downright evil. Annette Bennings' character is so hostile and unpredictable it's hard to imagine her holding down a steady job.
Plausibility is not the long suit of a screenplay bent on moving its plots and characters in neat patterns These two people played by Benning and Watts, who represent a lonely mother and a lost child, are meant to hold our attention, but in order to justify our respect or interest they have to undergo sudden changes the scenes can't justify.Jackson is an attorney who heads his own very successful law firm. In his first scene he is made to hire Watts, whom he declares impressive. The only trouble is that her record also clearly shows she is unstable, uncommitted, and isolated. The head of a viable firm would think twice before hiring such a person. Then in the days that follow she rapidly seduces him.
To analyze the details would not only give away the surprises, but is also embarrassing, because so much is fudged to make the pieces fit together; and besides unconvincing events, there are dropped stitches as time goes on. Things get more obvious and ham-handed when a blind girl appears on the roof of Watts' latest apartment building (she is constantly on the move) for the sole purpose of having Meaningful Conversations. And yet despite all the nonsense, some of the scenes are heartrending, especially one involving Kerry Washington.
When Benning turns sweet and lovely, her scenes seem pasted in from another picture. It would have been nice to watch her again in the lightweight, but utterly charming 'Being Julia,' one of her recent triumphs. She is always fine, but she does manic better than depressive. All these fine actors deserved better material. They're good, but they can't make this movie plausible or hide the writer-director's heavy, obtrusive hand.
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Motherhood
Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
12 March 2012
In Los Angeles, the therapist Karen (Annette Bening) is a bitter woman that nurses her terminal mother Nora with the support of her maid Tracy (Carla Gallo) that has a little daughter. Karen misses her unknown daughter that she gave for adoption thirty-seven years ago when she was fourteen years old. Her new colleague Paco (Jimmy Smits), who is a widower, is a gentle man and courts the unpleasant Karen.
*
The bakery owner Lucy (Kerry Washington) wishes desperately to adopt a child since she can not have a baby but her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) is not supportive to the idea.The efficient lawyer Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), who is Karen's daughter, is an independent and promiscuous woman that does not want to have a baby and has tubal ligation. When she joins the law firm of Paul (Samuel Jackson), she has a love affair with him and becomes his mistress.
*
When Nora passes away, she feels a great need to know Elizabeth. She marries Paco and his daughter Maria, who is a religious woman, convinces her to seek out Elizabeth. When Lucy meets the single mother Ray (Shareeka Epps), who is a demanding woman, Joseph leaves her since he does not want to raise a foster child. When Elizabeth finds that she is pregnant, she quits her job in Paul's firm and works as secretary in a small company. Their lives will be entwined in very dramatic situations.
*
"Mother and Child" is a powerful drama about different views and feelings about motherhood. The therapist Karen has never overcome the loss of her daughter for adoption. The infertile baker Lucy wants to be a mother and her desire costs her marriage. The lawyer Elizabeth is traumatized by her childhood and is an independent woman that does not want to have a baby and ironically gets pregnant. In the end, there is redemption with the second chance for Karen. My vote is seven.
*
A truly beautiful art film
Author: Tim Johnson from Fremantle, Australia
5 July 2010
Diane and I just saw this film in Fremantle and we were both totally absorbed by the strength, truth and integrity of it. The IMDb comments from viewers have noted the extraordinarily rich acting by all the people in this project; it is as if they were working at a higher level because they felt the power of the script and wanted to give the film the very best performance they could muster. It was similar to hearing our local chamber orchestra that seemed, at least to Diane and me, to rise above their normal excellent work and give tremendous support to a recognized Swiss violinist in concert with him.
Other commentators have mentioned academy award strength in these performances and I can certainly accede to these opinions.We were impressed by the script which assumed that the audience could follow the pastiche lives of the four women involved in these all too real life situations. We thought that the writer who also directed this beautiful film understood and dealt sympathetically with the jigsaw of their lives as those lives unfolded. Don't read too carefully about the plot; I would suggest that you just take a seat and become absorbed in this tremendously sympathetic view of all that transpires on the screen. It is a gem not to be missed.
*
mother courage
There have been a few movies about adoption, but probably none so profound as Rodrigo García's "Mother and Child". It depicts three separate stories, which despite their distinction share a link.Karen (Annette Bening) is an embittered nurse who many years earlier gave up her daughter for adoption. The daughter (Naomi Watts) is now grown up and calling herself Elizabeth, working in a law firm headed by the upstanding Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Meanwhile, baker Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) are looking to adopt.
*
There have been a few movies about adoption, but probably none so profound as Rodrigo García's ". It depicts three separate stories, which despite their distinction share a link.Karen (Annette Bening) is an embittered nurse who many years earlier gave up her daughter for adoption. The daughter (Naomi Watts) is now grown up and calling herself Elizabeth, working in a law firm headed by the upstanding Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Meanwhile, baker Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) are looking to adopt.
*
The subplots are Karen's relationships with co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) and housekeeper Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo).The film moves along at just the right pace so that each relationship can accurately develop, and the characters come across as individuals with whom one can truly sympathize. In particular, Karen, through observing Sofia and her daughter, comes to understand the kind of life that she could have had. This is truly one that I recommend.Also starring David Morse, Tatyana Ali, Latanya Richardson and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks).
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© DR - MOTHER & CHILD Naomie Watts /Bio & Filmo
27/10/2012 17:35
Naomi Watts
est une actrice australo-britannique née le 28 septembre 1968
à Shoreham, dans le Kent (Royaume-Uni).
Carrière
Naomi Watts est la fille de Peter Watts, ingénieur du son et organisateur des tournées de Pink Floyd dans les années 70 et de Myfanwy Roberts, surnommée Miv, décoratrice d'intérieur d'origine galloise. Naomi a un frère, Ben Watts, d'un an son aîné, aujourd'hui photographe aux États-Unis.
Ses parents se séparent quand elle a 4 ans. Lorsqu'elle a 7 ans, son père décède. Peu après, sa mère déménage la famille à Llanfawr Farm, sur l'île d'Anglesey au large des côtes nord-ouest du Pays de Galles où le gallois est la langue dominante.Ils y vivent avec leurs grands-parents maternels,Nikki et Hugh Roberts.
Naomi décrit sa mère comme une hippie « avec des tendances passive-agressive » et sans argent, qui avait l'habitude de menacer de les envoyer, elle et son frère, en famille d'accueil pour subvenir aux besoins de ses parents.Bien que sa mère déplace, à l'occasion, sa famille au Pays de Galles et en Angleterre, le plus souvent pour suivre le petit ami du moment, elle finit toujours par revenir à Llangefni. Naomi y vécut jusqu'à l'âge de 14 ans.
Lors d'un voyage en Australie, sa mère acquiert la conviction qu'il s'agit de « la terre de toutes les chances » et déménage la famille à Sydney en 1982. Sa grand-mère était australienne, ce qui rend plus facile l'obtention des documents nécessaires, et permet en particulier à Naomi et à sa famille d'obtenir la citoyenneté australienne.De sa nationalité, elle a dit : « Je me considère britannique et j'ai de très bons souvenirs de la Grande-Bretagne. J'ai passé les 14 premières années de ma vie en Angleterre et je n'ai jamais voulu la quitter. Quand j'étais en Australie, je revenais souvent en Angleterre. »
À Sydney,Naomi étudie dans plusieurs écoles de théâtre. À la toute première leçon de la première école, elle rencontre Nicole Kidman, en partageant un taxi pour se rendre en classe et avec qui elle devient amie.En 1986, elle fait une pause dans sa période d'apprentie-actrice, et se rend au Japon pour travailler comme modèle, mais l'expérience, qui durera environ quatre mois, n'est pas un succès : n'ayant pas le physique requis pour un mannequin professionnel, elle était condamnée à travailler pour des publicités, ce qui ne l'intéressait guère. Naomi décrit cette période comme l'une des pires de sa vie.
Après son retour en Australie, elle a travaillé pour un grand magasin, puis pour une revue de mode. Elle n'est revenue au théâtre que suite à l'invitation ponctuelle d'un collègue à participer à une petite pièce, laquelle a ravivé sa passion pour la scène. Elle quitte alors son emploi et se consacre à réussir en tant qu'actrice.
*
Elle débute dans la comédie romantique For love alone (1986). Elle y côtoie Sam Neill et Hugo Weaving. Après quatre ans d'absence, elle tient des seconds rôles dans Tank Girl ou Babe , le cochon dans la ville. Mais c'est en 2001 qu'elle voit sa carrière s'envoler avec Mulholland Drive de David Lynch. Le film la propulse au rang de star, et elle peut désormais choisir les projets dans lesquels elle s'engage.L'Ascenseur (niveau 2) tourné avant Mulholland Drive mais sorti après, est un succès grâce à elle. En 2011 elle reçoit un hommage de la part du Festival de Deauville et l'année suivante, elle interprête le rôle de Lady Di dans le film d'Olivier Hirschbiegel.
Vie privée
Naomi vit depuis 2005 avec l'acteur Liev Schreiber. Le couple a eu deux garçons : Alexander Pete, né le 25 juillet 2007, et Samuel Kai, né le 13 décembre 2008. Avec Nicole Kidman, elle est la marraine des enfants de Simon Baker.
Filmographie Actrice
1986 : For Love Alone de Stephen Wallace : la petite amie de Léo
1991 : Flirting de John Duigan : Janet Odgers
1993 : Coupable ou innocente (Gross Misconduct) de George Miller
1993 : Panic sur Florida Beach de Joe Dante
1993 : The Custodian de John Dingwall
1993 : Wide Sargasso Sea de John Duigan
1995 : Tank Girl de Rachel Talalay : Jet Girl
1996 : Persons unknown de George Hickenlooper : Molly Chandler
1996 : Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (TV) : Grace Rhodes
1997 : Sleepwalkers (série US de 9 épisodes) : Kate Russell
1997 : Under the Lighthouse Dancing de Graeme Rattigan : Louise
1998 : Babe 2, le cochon dans la ville de George Miller : voix additionnelles
1998 : La Courtisane de Marshall Herskovitz : Giulia De Lezze
1999 : Strange Planet de Emma-Kate Croghan
2001 : The Wyvern Mystery (TV) : Alice Fairfield
2001 : Never Date an Actress (court-métrage) de David Baer : la fille superficielle
2005 : Ellie Parker de Scott Coffey : Ellie Parker
2001 : L'Ascenseur (niveau 2) de Dick Maas : Jennifer Evans
2001 : Mulholland Drive de David Lynch : Betty Elms
2002 : Rabbits de David Lynch : Suzie
2002 : Le Cercle de Gore Verbinski : Rachel Keller
2002 : L'Amour, six pieds sous terre de Nick Hurran : Meredith
2002 : Un mystérieux étranger (TV) de Randa Haines : Rebecca Yoder
2003 : Ned Kelly de Gregor Jordan : Julia Cook
2003 : Le Divorce de James Ivory : Roxeanne de Persand
2003 : 21 grammes de Alejandro González Inárritu : Cristina Peck
2004 : We Don't Live Here Anymore de John Curran : Edith Evans
2004 : The Assassination of Richard Nixon de Niels Mueller : Marie Andersen Bicke
2004 : J'adore Huckabees de David O. Russell : Dawn Campbell
2005 : Le Cercle 2 de Hideo Nakata : Rachel Keller
2005 : Stay **de Marc Forster : Lila Culpepper
2005 : King Kong de Peter Jackson : Ann Darrow
2006 : Inland Empire de David Lynch : le lapin Suzie (voix)
2006 : Le Voile des illusions(?) de John Curran : Kitty Fane
2007 : Les Promesses de l'ombre de David Cronenberg : Anna Khitrova
2007 : Funny Games U.S. de Michael Haneke : Ann Farber
2009 : L'Enquête** de Tom Tykwer : Eleanor Whitman
2010 : Fair Game de Doug Liman : Valerie Plame
2010 : Vous allez rencontrer un bel et sombre inconnu de Woody Allen : Sally
2010 : Mother and Child de Rodrigo García : Elizabeth
2011 : J. Edgar de Clint Eastwood : Helen Gandy
2011 : Dream House de Jim Sheridan : Ann Patterson
2012 : The Impossible (Lo imposible) de Juan Antonio Bayona : Maria (Pénible!)
2012 : Sunlight Jr. de Laurie Collyer : Melissa
2013 : Les Grands-mères d'Anne Fontaine
Productrice
2004 : We Don't Live Here Anymore de John Curran
2005 : Ellie Parker de Scott Coffey de John Curran
2006 : Le Voile des illusions
2007 : Funny Games U.S. de Michael Haneke (productrice exécutive)
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