When filming began for Kristin Scott Thomas’s directorial debut, the piece was titled My Mother’s Wedding. In July 2023, it was renamed North Star for the Toronto International Film Festival, then in February 2025, it went back to its original name. Scott’s own life inspires the story premise. When she was 5 years old, her father died, and a few years later, her mother remarried. 5 years later, the second husband passed away. Both served as pilots in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and lost their lives in similar training accidents. With this happening at such a young age, one of her coping techniques was to write and illustrate stories about what a “normal” family with two parents would be doing.
With their Mother/Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas), getting married for the third time, the three sisters return home for the happy event. Firstborn Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) followed in her father’s and stepfather’s footsteps by joining the Royal Navy, second-born Victoria (Sienna Miller) is an A-list actress who has used the childhood loss of her father and stepfather to her advantage, and third is their half-sister Georgina (Emily Beecham) is a nurse. Each has their own relationship issues and are trying to navigate what is best for them and their children, while coming to terms with their Mother moving on.
Assisting with the story being told, Katherine experiences flashbacks that are shown through pencil drawing animation. This was a creative choice that did not work for me. It created more questions rather than filling in the blanks of the past. For example, after arriving back at her childhood home, she glances into a room and remembers males meeting in the room. Was one of these men her Father? Her Stepfather? And who else was at the meeting? Was it just a memory, or was it supposed to tell more than it did? Going from a full-color movie to greyscale, animation was a bit jolting, and I found myself checking the time at every occurrence.
I found the story to be very stiff-upper-lip British and lacking in the chemistry I am used to. With various story lines about what each sister is facing in their own life, opening the door to the question of whether it could be because of the tragic loss of two crucial men at such early and developmental points in their lives. Or was it because they didn’t have the skills to navigate relationship issues, with most of their lives being raised by a single mother?
For those who enjoy British films and are fans of the cast, this would be a good choice early in the day at the theater. It will also be a nice option when the weather turns colder, and streaming from home with a good cup of tea is an option.
Director: Kristin Scott Thomas
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language.
Selig Rating: 3 stars
Runtime: 1h 35m
Release Date: August 8, 2025
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
Movie Site: My Mother’s Wedding website
Trailer: My Mother’s Wedding trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.