Leila, a 28 year old Syrian American woman, anxiously awaits the outcome of her mother’s immigration interview in a hotel room that is meant to be their meeting place if her mother is approved to enter the US.
...this is a competent and intriguing debut [by Or Sinai]. What it lacks in script sophistication, Sinai more than makes up for with her assured filmmaking and successful guidance of her lead performance.
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Sarah Gopaul
RTThat ShelfSep 19, 2025
Subtlety is what gives Ma its sense of realism. Evgenia Dodina delivers a layered performance, shrewdly expressing Mila’s pride and pain. The ending is a reckoning, but perhaps not the one viewers expect.
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Michael Sicinski
RTIn Review OnlineSep 15, 2025
The film constructs a world filled with real, imperfect people, sometimes blinded by their own good intentions. And with one ill-conceived revelation, Mama blows it all to hell.
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Giovanni Lago
RTNext Best PictureSep 15, 2025
By the time “Mama” comes to its conclusion, it doesn’t end on as powerful a note as one would expect, considering the material.
