Hollywood has a long history of vilifying the mother to explore the anxieties of the male psyche. The most famous example is Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho . Norman Bates’ mother is a phantom, a voice in his head that drives him to murder. Though she barely appears on screen, she dominates the film. Psycho codified the trope of the "Smothering Mother"—a woman whose love is so total it destroys her son’s autonomy.
We rarely discuss the son’s power over the mother. In older age, the roles reverse.
If you need a specific annotated bibliography or a short essay on one of these texts or films, let me know.
D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers is a classic literary exploration of a "controlling and intense" maternal love that prevents the protagonist, Paul Morel, from forming healthy relationships with other women. Coming-of-Age and Evolving Dynamics
