Here, the mother is a figure of suffering and endurance. She sacrifices everything for the son’s survival or success. The son carries the burden of her sacrifice, often leading to immense guilt or a drive to redeem her suffering.

(2018) – Explores inherited trauma and grief through a dark, supernatural lens. Forrest Gump

In cinema, Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata (1978) offers a brutal, adult variation. Here, the “son” is replaced by a daughter (Eva), but the dynamic of a mother—a celebrated pianist—whose career and emotional frigidity have devastated her child is a direct parallel. The film’s central, screaming confrontation is not about sex but about the primal wound of maternal neglect: “A mother and a daughter—what a terrible combination of feelings and confusion.”