Such a heartwarming film and a great lesson to humanity. This film offers so much hope. It will definitely move you. Highly recommend, especially for every teacher to show their students.

This is a beautiful inspiring film about the heart of a Aew, known as "Mother" to orphaned children in the heart of the Jungle of Thailand. Mother has spent years cultivating a safe home, school, and place for children to thrive in. Creating a Democratic school (based on SummitHill learning philosophy) where they can truly thrive and be seen. What surprised me about this film was the moment to moment filmmaking, beautifully shot and felt that captures the world of these children and even though they are orphans, some having been abused and abandoned they seem truly happy under this deeply nurturing and love at Summithill. My eyes filled with tears more than once when we follow two twin boys who finally get to meet their birth parents who are incapable of caring for them. I also was full with so much awe and hope at when we see the inherent good in children we can trust them to flourish with guidance, love, and respect. There are so many takeaways from this beautiful film, it should be required watching for all.

I truly enjoyed this often heartwarming look at the daily life of a remarkable school/orphanage in rural Thailand; Korczak's orphanage came to mind. The first half of the film focuses, in detail, on the daily routines of the children living at the school, immersing the viewer in the setting (my favourite bit of the film). As Mother Aew states early on in the film, her community is influenced by Summerhill School in the UK, and having worked there, the resemblance is striking. Especially the school meeting was something that felt very familiar. There was certainly a sense that the children felt empowered in that forum and I am glad the filmmakers gave ample time to showing what these meetings are like. The second half of the film was focused on the preparations leading up to Mother's Day and while entertaining, did not show much new in regards to educational practice. The buildup to the final event was presented in a way that held my attention and I never lost interest. On a personal note, I struggled with the way the community worshipped Mother Aew but this was somewhat offset by her humility. I'd recommend the film to anyone interested in education and children's lives but reckon that most people with a heart would enjoy the film.