Mildred Pierce (1945)

Mildred Pierce (dir. Michael Curtiz) is full of melodrama, tense moments and fierce conflicts. Is it a good movie? Well, like many noir movies, it works itself up with a doom-stricken progression that doesn't let go of the viewer. Let's say it's a tight movie, and memorable because of that, and because of its feminist agenda. The film includes some of the cruelest and brattiest characters in the history of film and some scenes actually manage to muster up a plethora of social commentary directed at class society and women's role as house wifes, workers or self-made business people. But it's the drama that owns the film, along with the general bleakness that overshadows the film. Empires crash down, a murder is committed and misery abounds. Joan Crawford is good as hard-working Mildred, who tries to do the right thing, which also includes giving in to her bratty daughter's every whim. One thing that's at least a bit interesting about Mildred Pierce is that it doesn't glorify motherhood. The film chronicles the tale about a mother who panders to her kid's excessive needs and desire, without ever questioning them. She never lives her own life; first, she lives for her husband and then for her kids. Film noir with a feminist message - quite a rare treat.