Mrs Lowry & Son

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adrian Noble directs. Josep M. Civit behind the camera. Craig Armstrong scores. Chris Gill cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 7 years ago.
• 2Directed by Adrian Noble, shot by Josep M. Civit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Craig Armstrong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Spall and Wendy Morgan carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "A Film By Adrian Noble".
• 7IMDB entry: tt7590074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Only 48 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
• 9Classified under 8 themes, including "mother", "artist", "painter", "biography".

The technical file

Cinematography

Josep M. Civit

Original score

Craig Armstrong

Editing

Chris Gill

Production design

Catrin Meredydd

Costume design

Jenny Beavan

Makeup / hair

Ruth Brophy

Runtime

91 min · 1h 31m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

16

IMDB

Mrs Lowry & Son (2019) ↗

Also by

Adrian Noble

• 
  Engelbert Humperdinck - Hänsel & Gretel

  2015 · ★ 10.0
• 
  The Importance of Being Earnest on Stage

  2015 · ★ 9.0
• 
  Alcina

  2011 · ★ 6.0
• 
  A Midsummer Night's Dream

  1996 · ★ 5.9
• 
  Otello- Israeli Opera

  2025
• 
  Otello

  2025

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Mrs Lowry & Son - Official UK Trailer - In Cinemas 30th August

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Peter McGinn2020-04-02
  ★ 8/10

  It doesn't always work, but I figure and movie with Timothy Spall in it is worth a look. Mrs. Lowry and Son is one of those slowly paced movies that you have to let roll over you and be patient. The two characters are not always likable and may let you down in small ways, as they let each other down, but I was till rooting for them. L.S. Lowry as presented here and presumably in his life was a very complex character. I liked how he was playful with neighborhood children and poetic when describing as a painter the scenes and places he has seen. But the other side of him is the rent collector trudging around town, and the timid soul who tries in vain to impress his mother and gain her love. And I don't have reason to doubt this depiction of him, as I have since read, for example, that in real life he refused several awards later in life, including the royal OBE because, his thought was, what would be the point since his mother was now gone. I can't say his artwork impresses me, with his matchstick men and all, but I leave that to those who know art. His artistic sensibilities were grounded in the harshness of life for the working classes during the Industrial Revolution and in towns such as Salford, one of the setting sources of the gritty and realistic British soap opera Coronation Street. Well, realistic for decades until it transformed into an American soap opera due to pressure from East Enders and Emmerdale. But being grounded in that harsh atmosphere, it seemed symbolic to see the artist walk through a gorgeous scene of verdant green fields and trees, reach the top of a slope, and and then paint a cluster of squatting factories. Yes, a different sort of artist. One other aspect of Spall's performance occurred to me. It reminded me of a couple of his Mike Leigh films, such as Secrets and Lies, where he gives a measured, restrained performance all the way through only to explode as an actor for an emotionally powerful scene near the end. Worth watching, but not for when you are in the mood for a lively movie. As a side note, I was intrigued to learn that one of my favorite pop songs ever, status Quo’s Pictures of Matchstick Men, was a tribute to Lowry. Gosh, I will have to watch this film again.

  Read full review ↓
• CinemaSerf2022-03-27
  ★ 7/10

  This plods along in an almost Alan Bennett-esque fashion. It doesn't ever catch fire, but is well written and does seem to accurately reflect the routine and repetitive way of life for both Lowry and his largely bedridden mother. The principals gel well, and we do get a sense of what their relationship might have actually been like in a relatively poverty-stricken industrial Lancashire in the 1930s when Lowry acted as a rent collector. Once you get an understanding of the mundanity of this existence it helps make a little sense of both why it took so long for his art to become recognised (including by his mother) and then as to why it actually did.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Genesius Pictures

  GB

• IP

  IPG Media Pty

  AU

Key crew

• Production CoordinatorRob Yeomans
• Floor RunnerEmily Prieditis
• ProducerDebbie Gray
• EditorChris Gill
• Production DesignCatrin Meredydd
• Art DirectionJono Moles
• Set DecorationMaggie Ogden
• Costume DesignJenny Beavan
• Costume DesignLauren Reyhani
• CastingJohn Hubbard
• CastingRos Hubbard
• Line ProducerClare Shepherd
• Hair DesignerRuth Brophy
• Makeup DesignerRuth Brophy
• Location ManagerDarren Greene
• Executive ProducerJulian Gleek
• Executive ProducerRobert Little
• Executive ProducerJon Exton
• Executive ProducerGianfrancesco Favino
• Executive ProducerPhilip Greader
• Executive ProducerSimon Lenagan
• Executive ProducerJason Haigh-Ellery
• Executive ProducerStuart Piper
• Executive ProducerAlex Segal

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• mother
• artist
• painter
• biography
• based on true story
• flashback
• manchester
• mother son relationship

Release history · US

When it landed

• Digital2022-04-2116· VOD

Also known as

International titles

• Mrs Lowry and SonUS