East Hampton - The film "Mother and Child" opened last Friday, July 23 at the Regal East Hampton Cinemas. The film was produced by part-time Hamptons resident, Lisa Maria Falcone, under her film production company, Everest Entertainment. The film was written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives"), and stars Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington.

Poster for "Mother and Child."

"Mother and Child" reveals the touching story of three women and the unbreakable bond tjat exists between a mother and child. All three women's lives share a common feature - they have all been affected by adoption in one way or another. Karen (Bening) placed a baby for adoption when she was age 14, and has since constantly wondered what happened to the child she mothered but never knew. Elizabeth (Watts) was adopted as a child; she's an ambitious lawyer, but a loner in her personal life. Lucy (Washington) and her husband are attempting to adopt a child and experience the joys of parenting.

Strangers to one another, Karen and Elizabeth in turn each struggle with past emotional scars, and their inabilities to trust others or create meaningful relationships. As Karen wonders about the daughter she never knew, Elizabeth is concerned with the absence of her mother. She wonders whether trying to find her biological mother would be a mistake. Lucy in turn hopes that adoption will bring her joy, as she longs to become a mother. The film attempts to express and reveal the emotional complexity of the bonds between family members.

Falcone decided to produce this film because of the role that adoption has played within her own life. She herself was adopted as a child, and has never met her own biological mother. In her opinion, this is a film that "definitely stays with you" long after you leave the theater. It is a "film for everybody to watch," and one that gives you the chance to think deeply about the relationship not only between mother and child, but also between loves, friends, and even husbands and wives.

This is the first film she has produced; it took Garcia nine years to write the screenplay and put it all together.

Proceeds will go towards pregnant teenage girls so that they can receive a college education and become strong women who will be capable of supporting themselves and their babies.

No matter who you see this film with - whether it's with your friend, or boyfriend, or wife, or even your own mother, you will want to talk about how emotionally touching it truly is.