In so many of the Lifetime films, a theme emerges about the special bond between a mother and her daughter. In "Mother of All Lies," the filmmakers finally arrive at this theme. But, it is not to be found in the relationship of the biological mother of young Sara Caskie.
Sara was adopted by two loving parents, Rebecca and Jason. Sara never knew much about the life of her biological mom, Abby Miller. Upon her eighteenth birthday, Sara comes across a batch of letters written by the mother, but never delivered to her. The adoptive parents withheld the letters due to the circumstances of Abby's incarceration.
Abby was involved in a jewelry store robbery that culminated in her running over a man who died. She was convicted of armed robbery and manslaughter and is about to be let out on parole. It is at this moment that Sara decides to reconnect with her birth mother.
The meeting of the daughter and the mother is not a pretty one after Sara is released from prison. She shacks up with Carl, an abusive man and a terrible influence on young Sara. Yet Abby insists on her daughter staying with her in this dangerous environment. History then repeats itself when Abby for the second time runs over a man. She then straps the deceased Carl to the steering wheel of the car and runs it off a cliff. Abby then demands a vow of silence from her daughter. The murder will be their little secret.
A question the viewer must resolve is the degree of stupidity of young Sara Caskie. Towards the end of the film, Sara asks her adoptive mother the question, "How do you know if you are making the right decision?" Is Sara simply naive? Or, is she totally clueless? At the very least, she is slow in figuring out that Abby is a pathological liar, who will sacrifice her own daughter for her nefarious purposes. As a lifer, Abby may not have much time to work on her driving. But she will have unlimited opportunities in the correctional facility to contemplate the responsibilities of motherhood for which she failed the litmus test.
Sara was adopted by two loving parents, Rebecca and Jason. Sara never knew much about the life of her biological mom, Abby Miller. Upon her eighteenth birthday, Sara comes across a batch of letters written by the mother, but never delivered to her. The adoptive parents withheld the letters due to the circumstances of Abby's incarceration.
Abby was involved in a jewelry store robbery that culminated in her running over a man who died. She was convicted of armed robbery and manslaughter and is about to be let out on parole. It is at this moment that Sara decides to reconnect with her birth mother.
The meeting of the daughter and the mother is not a pretty one after Sara is released from prison. She shacks up with Carl, an abusive man and a terrible influence on young Sara. Yet Abby insists on her daughter staying with her in this dangerous environment. History then repeats itself when Abby for the second time runs over a man. She then straps the deceased Carl to the steering wheel of the car and runs it off a cliff. Abby then demands a vow of silence from her daughter. The murder will be their little secret.
A question the viewer must resolve is the degree of stupidity of young Sara Caskie. Towards the end of the film, Sara asks her adoptive mother the question, "How do you know if you are making the right decision?" Is Sara simply naive? Or, is she totally clueless? At the very least, she is slow in figuring out that Abby is a pathological liar, who will sacrifice her own daughter for her nefarious purposes. As a lifer, Abby may not have much time to work on her driving. But she will have unlimited opportunities in the correctional facility to contemplate the responsibilities of motherhood for which she failed the litmus test.