The Good Mothers is a shocking Italian crime drama, based on a true story, which sees a group of courageous women put their lives on the line to take down the notorious Calabrian Mafia, known as the ‘Ndrangheta.
Adapted from the novel by Alex Perry, The Good Mothers centers on the efforts of public prosecutor Anna Colace (Barbara Chichiarelli), who comes up with a new strategy to bring down one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world by focusing on the women caught up in its brutal regime of violence, misogyny and silence.
We spoke to the cast and creatives behind The Good Mothers to find out more. Here is everything you need to know about the drama on Disney Plus...
The Good Mothers release date
The Good Mothers is made up of six episodes and will be available to stream on Disney Plus from Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
The Good Mothers plot
When fearless prosecutor Anna Colace implements her plan to influence the women in the ‘Ndrangheta, her attention is on two unlikely friends, Giuseppina Pesce (Valentina Bellè) and Maria Concetta Cacciola (Simona Distefano), who are from rival families but confide in each other about the abuse they endure. Can Anna convince them to collaborate, break free and create new lives for their children?
“Maria was married at 13 to a boy who just wanted a way into the clan,” says Simona Distefano. “But he soon ends up in prison, which means Maria has to live a completely segregated life because those are the rules of the ‘Ndrangheta. She's not allowed to have friends or social life. All she can do is bring up her children, that’s it.”
Meanwhile, Lea Garofalo (Micaela Ramazzotti) agrees to meet with her ex-partner, Carlo Cosco (Francesco Colella), after years on the run while in and out of witness protection with her 17-year-old daughter, Denise (Gaia Girace).
But when Lea disappears, Denise fears the worst. Has her father killed her mother in an act of revenge for testifying against the ‘Ndrangheta?
“Lea was born into the ‘Ndrangheta, but escaped with her daughter after testifying and going into witness protection,” says Micaela Ramazzotti. “While on the run, constantly changing their names and moving to different safe houses, Lea manages to convey a sense of strength and freedom to her daughter, which ultimately leads to Denise turning on her father.
“It’s so important that we shed light on the stories of these real women,” Micaela continues. “They grew up in a violent world and were incredibly brave to go against the Mafia code of silence. They did something truly astounding.”
The Good Mothers trailer
Disney Plus has now released a trailer for The Good Mothers. Take a look below.
The Good Mothers cast
A raft of Italian stars take on the lead roles, including My Brilliant Friend’s Gaia Girace as teenager Denise Cosco, Medici’s Valentina Bellè as desperate mother Giuseppina Pesce and Suburra’s Barbara Chichiarelli as prosecutor Anna Colace.
Rounding out the cast are Micaela Ramazzotti (The First Beautiful Thing) as Denise’s mother, Lea Garofalo, Simona Distefano (The Traitor) as Maria Concetta Cacciola, Francesco Colella (ZeroZeroZero) as Denise’s father, Carlo Cosco, plus Andrea Dodero (Thou Shalt Not Hate) as Carlo’s henchman, Carmine Venturino.
The Good Mothers: Behind the scenes
The series is based on the book by Foreign Press Association award-winning journalist Alex Perry. It’s written by BAFTA-winning Stephen Butchard (The Last Kingdom and Baghdad Central), and directed by The Crown’s Julian Jarrold and Italian filmmaker Elisa Amoruso. Executive producers include Juliette Howell and Tessa Ross for House Productions (Brexit: The Uncivil War) and Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Wildside.
“Most people have heard of Camorra and La Cosa Nostra, but I didn’t really know about the ‘Ndrangheta,” says director Julian Jarrold. “But in fact, this is a far richer, more dangerous and invisible organization that has its fingers in pies not only in the south of Italy but in London, Germany, everywhere.
“It’s insidious, and particularly in its heartland in Calabria, there are extraordinary archaic, oppressive family structures,” Julian continues. “It was a challenge to show that on screen, as well as the dilemma of the women who have grown up in that world and then have to make the incredibly difficult choice of whether to try to escape, with all the dangers that it brings — the isolation and the fact that they’ll always be looking over their shoulders, never able to lead peaceful lives — was completely fascinating.”
Writer Stephen Butchard agrees: “It’s such an incredible story of courage and bravery, and we had a responsibility to tell this story correctly, and with the amount of care and passion that these women clearly possessed.”
The Good Mothers airs on Disney Plus from Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
