Why you can trust GamesRadar+
Based on an unfinished posthumous novel by the controversial French writer Georges Bataille, Christophe Honoré's Oedipal drama Ma Mère is the latest in a tradition of extreme French cinema.
The story starts innocuously enough, as 17-year-old Pierre (Louis Garrel from The Dreamers) heads off to spend his summer holidays on the Canary Islands with his parents. But soon Papa buys it in a car accident and he's left alone with mum Hélène (Isabelle Huppert) - - who, in her own words, wants ""to be loved for the shame I provoke"." Along with partners-in-crime Réa (Joana Preiss) and Hansi (Emma de Caunes), she inducts her son into their world of sexual transgression...
Despite the beautiful-people cast, sex here is presented with a matter-of-fact joylessness, since Bataille's characters are seemingly escaping from the human condition rather than seeking pleasure. Ma Mère features another fine Huppert performance, with Hélène a compelling mixture of menace and fragility.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.

Robert De Niro's new Netflix series is being called everything from "addictive" to "dull" as it debuts to mixed reviews and a low Rotten Tomatoes score

The Monkey's Tatiana Maslany reacts to the horror movie's most shocking death: "It's so wrong, and I think that's why it's so right"

Cobra Kai creator reveals a major cut finale moment – and it involves one of the Netflix series' big unanswered questions