'Stage Mother' with Jacki Weaver spreads message of tolerance, forgiveness
In "Stage Mother", two-time Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver plays a conservative mother who strives to learn more about her gay son's life after his death.
Australian actress Jacki Weaver has two Oscar nominations to her credit, for "Animal Kingdom" and "Silver Linings Playbook."
Now she has a new film, "Stage Mother." In it, her "children" are the drag queens who work at her late son's bar.
Weaver plays a church choir director in a tiny Texas town. After her son announces he's gay, her husband disowns him and forbids her from being in their only child's life.
Then tragedy strikes, and she ignores her husband's wishes and flies off to San Francisco to bury her son and learn about his life.
"I have this fantasy that this will be watched by a young person who hasn't come out to their parents yet and they watch it with their parents and the film makes it so much easier for them to discuss the matter," said Weaver. "It's about love and redemption and forgiveness and hope and yeah, sorrow, but eventual joy. It's so true to life. My favorite films are like life, you know? Life has you crying one minute and laughing the next. It's tragic one minute, hilarious the next."
Weaver has been in show biz for 58 years now. And in these uncertain times, she's happy to bring a hopeful film to audiences.
"I think things are so dire and sad that this kind of film that shows there's hope for everything is good," said Weaver.
"Stage Mother" is available on demand starting Aug. 21.
