Mommy

Die, a widowed mother and advice columnist, collects her son Steve from an institutional care setting where he was being discharged after starting a fire. She brings him to their new home in Saint-Hubert, hoping to start anew. The early days reveal the strain of caring for Steve's ADHD and attachment issues amid financial hardship.

Die settles Steve into their new home in Saint-Hubert and begins navigating a fragile daily routine. The couple struggles with finances while trying to provide Steve with stability and support. The sense of a fresh start is tempered by the realities of their situation.

Steve returns with a cart of groceries and a necklace reading 'Mommy,' which Die interprets as a theft rather than a gift. The accusation triggers a heated confrontation as Die questions Steve's behavior. The tension exposes the fragility of their new life together.

Enraged by the accusation, Steve begins choking Die, and she defends herself by striking him with a glass frame. Amid the chaos, Kyla, a neighbor and teacher on sabbatical, arrives to tend to Steve's wounds. The three form an uneasy triangle as safety concerns escalate.

Kyla begins tutoring Steve, though the session turns tense as Steve goads her. After a sharp confrontation, Steve mellows and shows appreciation for Kyla, suggesting a growing mutual respect. Die notices improvements in Steve and in Kyla's own struggles with her stuttering.

With Kyla's intervention, Die lands cleaning and translation work, and Steve earns better marks at school. Kyla's stuttering problem begins to ease as she forms a closer connection with Steve. The trio appears to be stabilizing despite ongoing concerns.

Die is served with papers from the parents of the injured boy, indicating they are suing Die and Steve for the damages from the fire. The suit reshapes their daily priorities and forces them to confront the legal consequences of Steve's behavior. The threat of losing Steve to the system hangs over them.

Die recruits a neighbourly lawyer to help with the case, and the trio heads out to a karaoke restaurant for the evening. Steve grows increasingly agitated by the atmosphere and what he perceives as his mother's interest in the lawyer. A confrontation at the venue ends with Die slapping the lawyer and Steve feeling increasingly alienated, causing him to run away.

While Die and Kyla search for Steve, he vanishes during a shopping trip. Kyla eventually locates him after he slits his wrists, but he survives the ordeal. The incident starkly reveals how close Die is to losing him and how precarious their situation remains.

Die and Kyla surprise Steve with a picnic, and Die contemplates the life she envisioned for her son. The drive and dialogue hint at a decisive moment they hope will reframe Steve's future. However, the scene foreshadows the notion that not all is as it seems.

Instead of a simple family outing, the group ends up at a hospital where Steve is to be committed under S-14. Die realizes the deception practiced by Kyla and herself, and Steve resists the hospital's attempts to apprehend him with growing fervor and violence.

Kyla reveals she is moving to Toronto, and Die encourages her to pursue the opportunity. Kyla brushes past a faux pas about abandoning her own family, and Die clings to the hope that a future for her son might still be possible. The moment underscores the emotional toll of their decisions.

Kyla leaves, and Die retreats to the kitchen, breaking down in tears as she processes the consequences of their choices. While Die handles dinner and translation work, she misses a call from Steve, leaving him without immediate support. The moment marks a quiet, painful separation.

Back at the hospital, Steve, restrained in a straitjacket, leaves a voicemail apologizing to his mother. Shortly after the straps are removed, he charges toward a large, bright window, leaving the fate of his future unresolved. The scene ends on a tense, ambiguous note about control and care.