A Light Beneath Their Feet

"A Light Beneath Their Feet" is a very unusual film. Why? Well, it's about a relatively common problem...yet hardly any other films have addressed the serious problem of a mentally ill parent being parented by their children. Think about it...with many, many millions of folks suffering with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Depression, very few movies talk about this...let alone the impact this has on their children. Fortunately, "A Light Beneath Their Feet" brings this problem to light and with mostly positive results.

When the film begins, Beth (Madison Davenport) is a very successful high school senior...so successful that she actually has some amazing options for college...Northwestern as well as UCLA. While she really wants to go to UCLA, there is a problem. Her mother, Gloria (Taryn Manning), has a mental illness and can barely care for herself. In many ways, she acts and thinks like a child. Naturally, there's a lot of pressure on Beth to stay home and attend Northwestern...which seems like a nice option (after all, it's a great school). However, will Beth ever be able to have a life of her own--let alone pick the college of her choice? After all, she cannot be Gloria's parent forever...and that's exactly what she faces unless something changes. Sadly, the change that comes is not for the good, as a mix up in medications sends Gloria completely over the edge...and Beth can no longer pretend everything will just work out...somehow.

I loved the theme of the film. Part of it is because it is rather unique and part of it is because I used to be a psychotherapist and thought Manning's performance as a Bipolar mother was terrific and compelling. Plus, no one ever seems to talk about the kids of these folks. My only reservations come because the film sometimes has too many plots...such as Beth's love life and, more importantly, the unrealistic side story involving the incredibly malevolent daughter of Gloria's psychiatrist. All these stories, while very interesting, are perhaps too much for one film. Still, with some terrific acting, a socially important subject as well as a story that really sucks you in, it's a film I recommend you see. Plus, there's a good chance you might know someone like Beth or Gloria...and it's nice that this sort of thing is coming out of the shadows.

"A Light Beneath Their Feet" (2015 release; 90 min.) brings the story of a mother and daughter. As the movie opens we see the daughter Beth doing dishes, while her mom Gloria is taking prescription medication of some sort. Pretty quickly we get the idea that something is really "off" with mom (probably bi-polar), which pushes Beth, a senior in high school, in the unusual position of having to care for her mom, rather than the other way around, In the meantime, Beth, already accepted at Northwestern (her mom's school of choice because it's nearby) and also at UCLA (Beth's school of choice because it 's far away and the weather is perfect) needs to decide what to do. On top of all that, Beth has developed a small crush on a boy. At this point we're 15 minutes into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is directed by up-and-coming director Valerie Weiss. Here she brings a tough topic, namely how a mother and daughter must tackle life when mom needs help. "You know can't take care of myself" Mom tells Beth early on. Can you imagine having to deal with that as a 17 or 18 yr. old? The movie is helped immensely by the lead performers, Taryn Manning as the mom and Madison Davenport as the daughter. Weiss paces the movie nicely and before you know it, the movie has flashed by. There are tons of great songs throughout the movie, many of them of the female indie-rock variety.

I never heard about this movie until I saw it at my local library the other day. So I basically took a flyer on this, and I'm glad I did. Nothing earth0shattering, but simply a nice 'little' movie about a mother-daughter relationship under some trying circumstances. "A Light Beneath Their Feet" is worth checking out!

Gloria Gerringson (Taryn Manning) is recovering from a mental breakdown and gets a cafeteria job at her daughter Beth (Madison Davenport)'s high school. Beth wants to go away to college but she is conflicted about leaving her bi-polar mother alone. Daschulla (Maddie Hasson) eavesdrops on her father psychiatrist Dr. Rutter (Kurt Fuller)'s sessions with Gloria. Jeremy (Carter Jenkins) is a notorious student after a scandal sleeping with his teacher. Beth likes Jeremy which makes jealous Daschulla vengeful.

Manning and Davenport deliver a couple of great performances. The movie would be a great indie favorite if it stayed away from some of the other stuff. There is no real need for the scandal related to Jeremy. He's fine as a loner outsider. The extra layer makes it more like Dawson's Creek and less serious. Her co-worker is unnecessary. Daschulla's character doesn't have to be a goth emo girl struggling with daddy issues. She could be a simple mean girl and there's no reason not to combine her with the mean girl in the movie. This would be improved with some simplifications.