Mama flips the familiar migrant story by focusing on a mother and wife who has left her Polish family behind to earn a living abroad in Israel.

While the story at the heart of the film is universal, its presence at TIFF is notable for another reason: Israeli films have become increasingly scarce in the festival’s lineup. In the years before the pandemic, TIFF would showcase half a dozen Israeli films making their international or North American premieres. Today, fewer productions are included, and Mama is the only film this year listing Israel among its countries of origin. But even at that, a good portion of the film was produced on location in Poland. The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, an October 7 documentary, is strictly listed as a Canadian production.

After spending 15 years working in Israel to secure a better future for her loved ones, Mila (Evgenia Dodina) has grown accustomed to the affluence of her employer’s world. But when a shattered arm forces her return to her small hometown in rural Poland, she discovers a difficult reality: her husband Anton (Arkadiusz Jakubik) and daughter Kasia (Katarzyna Łubik) have learned to move forward without her.

Mila exists on the margins of society. Away from her family, she has built an entirely new life, including a relationship with a younger gardener (Martin Ogbu). This affair feels less like a betrayal than an inevitable consequence of distance—she still has wants, needs, and desires, and living in Israel means they cannot be fulfilled by Anton, who remains in Poland. When she returns home, Anton eventually drops a revelation that lands with little surprise. Mama reminds us that leaving to provide for one’s family is more complicated than it appears.

The audience follows Mila closely throughout Mama. The camera rarely leaves her side, even during a lavish party hosted by Gideon (Meir Suissa) and Yafa (Chelli Goldenberg). Even while nursing an injury, she insists on working with one good arm, reinforcing her resilience and determination.

Writer-director Or Sinai draws from personal experience in shaping this story. As a child, her mother hired a Ukrainian housekeeper and even built an underground room for her to live in. Pretending she wasn’t there didn’t change her presence, and Sinai gradually came to know her. Through this, she discovered that there is a whole community of European women who relocated to Israel to support their families, even if it meant long separations. This lived experience gives Mama a rare authenticity that is seldom seen in Israeli cinema, let alone written about online.

Evgenia Dodina brings her own history to the role. Having immigrated to Israel from Belarus at age 20, she imbues Mila with a sense of lived experience. The actress even learned Polish for the part, further grounding her performance. Like many olim, Dodina knows firsthand the challenges of building a life in Israel as an outsider—a perspective that enriches the film’s emotional texture.

Global politics also left their mark on production. Mama was initially set to shoot in Ukraine during summer 2022, but the Russian invasion derailed those plans and cost the project its funding. The filmmakers shifted course, reimagining Mila as Polish in order to keep the film alive. As Sinai explains, “Poland in the film is not just Poland, it is a metaphor to all those places that people have to emigrate from in order to create a future for them and their families.” What began as a personal, intimate drama inadvertently took on political weight—though not in the way one might expect.

While the story never specifies exact locations, production notes reveal Caesarea as the filming site in Israel. Polish locations include Mokrzec, Tarnów, Rzeszów, and Dębica. Whether set against the Mediterranean coast or rural Polish towns, the landscapes highlight the sense of displacement that runs through Mila’s journey.

At TIFF, the film carries added weight. In a year when Israeli cinema is largely absent from the festival lineup—due to politics more than artistry—Mama stands as a rare reminder of the stories still being told. Its selection is not only a testament to the film’s quality but also an acknowledgment of the voices that risk being lost when people decide to erase Jewish or Israeli voices.

Ultimately, Sinai crafts a film that resonates far beyond its specific setting. Mama speaks to the universal struggles of migration and family, of what is given up in pursuit of a better future. It is a story at once deeply personal and profoundly global, making its place at TIFF all the more essential.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Or Sinai
CAST: Evgenia Dodina, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Katarzyna Łubik, Dominika Bednarczyk, Martin Ogbu

Mama holds its North American premiere during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Centrepiece program. Grade: 3.5/5

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