Con Mum Review: In Netflix’s Con Mum, chef Graham Hornigold gets the shock of his life when he is approached by a globe-trotting socialite claiming to be his mother. As things get more and more complicated and outright dangerous, Graham decides to get to the bottom of the mess bringing to light a truth more horrible than he had anticipated.
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Con Mum Netflix Director
Nick Green
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Con Mum Documentary Cast
Graham Hornigold
The documentary film has a runtime of 88 minutes.
Con Mum Review
It must be devastating to grow up without a parent and one day, out of the blue, find out that that person whom you waited for for so long is finally here only for it to turn out to be a big lie. Netflix’s Con Mum is a devastating watch, one that starts out rather dramatically and feels a bit made up to something utterly emotionally draining by the end.
I think viewers will find themselves finding the red flags from a mile away but it’s a whirlwind to put yourself in Graham’s shoes and imagine your own mother defrauding you. Of course, frequent Reddit users might find themselves a bit too familiar with “JustNO” family members but in normal society, your mother is supposed to be your closest confidant, someone whom you trust completely. Thus, it’s one heartbreak after another as you watch Graham’s mother conning her son, someone who gives up his own family just to spend the last 6 months with her, so severely.
The film does a fantastic job of playing all of the beats of the story effortlessly. It flows extremely well and is made thoroughly relatable thanks to both Graham and his wife Heather. You see the devastation on Graham’s face but it’s Heather for whom your heart will break just a little bit more. To be abandoned by your husband for a woman who he has only just met must be extremely difficult. But to imagine that he would leave his newborn son alone for months at a time after he’s born is something unfathomable. It breaks your heart for everyone in the scenario.
The film also does a great job of highlighting the depths of Dionne’s deception and manipulation. It’s easy to point fingers at Graham because the thought of an 80-year-old wheelchair-bound woman deceiving 3 people of thousands is an utterly ridiculous notion for most people. However, it constantly makes sure to tell you the truth and that sometimes people who have a traumatic past tend to overlook a lot of things that others might not. It’s an eerie feeling watching the chips fall so devastatingly and the twists and turns that come up till the end are nothing short of emotional. The Con Mum true story might leave many shocked, which the documentary gets into a bit towards the end.
Final Thoughts
Con Mum really gets you. I was not expecting it to go where it did and although viewers obviously know the truth of the matter thanks to the title, its emotional impact is what sneaks up on you. The cruelty displaced by someone whom you expect to trust without a second thought is what gave me such a hard time and will live on my mind rent-free. Keep your guards up for this one, viewers — it’s one heck of a ride and will leave you reeling by the end of it.