Ernesto (Sergio Castellitto) is an Italian painter and successful illustrator who is separated from his wife Irene (Jacqueline Lustig) but still very close to his young son Leonardo (Alberto Mondini). He is quite stunned to find out from a clerical emissary (Bruno Cariello) that a cardinal in the Vatican wants to see him. Unbeknownst to Ernesto, his aunt (Piera Degli Esposti) has been campaigning for three years to have his mother canonized as a saint. This very religious woman was murdered by her mentally unstable son (Donato Placido) years ago. After her death, a man was miraculously cured by praying to her. The committee wants to hear what Ernesto has to say about all of this.
To complicate matters, Leonardo has become obsessed with religious matters and questions. One day his mother finds him outside shooing God out of his mind. "He's everywhere,'' says the boy, "I can't get free of Him." Ernesto learns that he has picked up new ideas from his religion teacher. The boy asks his father: "There's six billion of us, how can God control us all at once?" Ernesto tells him that he does not believe in God or heaven. And he has his own unique interpretation of immortality.
When Ernesto finally meets Diana (Chiara Conti), his son's religion teacher, he is bowled over by the woman's beauty. She is fan of his art and wants to show him some of her own paintings. Meanwhile, Ernesto gets into some trouble by not respecting the radical ideals of a monarchist count who challenges him to a duel. Unhinged by all the drama swirling around him. Ernesto finally pays a visit to his wheeler dealer aunt who tells him to get with the program and help his family regain wealth, dignity, and fame through the beatification of his mother. A meeting with the cardinal (Maurizio Donadoni) unsettles Ernesto even more as he recalls his mother's stupidity and her religious subservience to the Catholic Church. Since he wasn't there the night his brother murdered her, he has no new light to shed on the ghastly event.
Italian writer and director Marco Bellocchio has fashioned a fascinating drama about the clash of values between members of a family. Ernesto's atheism is an affront to his former wife, brothers, and aunt. They just can't understand his refusal to go along with their plans. All of this turmoil really tests Ernesto's beliefs and his philosophy of life.
Catholicism is on the wane throughout Europe and My Mother's Smile gets at some of the reasons for this decline. Although Bellocchio is deeply critical of the Vatican process of selecting saints, the real source of contention between Ernesto and his relatives is his disapproval of their greediness. No wonder they are so uncomfortable in the presence of his arrogant smile of disdain.
Special DVD features include an interview with director Marco Bellocchio, another interview with actor Sergio Castellitto, a conversation between Bellocchio and Castellitto, and "A Day on the Set" behind the scenes.
