In this heartbreaking biography based on the memoirs of Christina Crawford, we delve into the tumultuous life of one of Hollywood's great golden stars and her complicated relationship with her daughter. The story begins in the 1930s, when the mother is recognized for her incredible talent on the big screen, but behind the famous actress's smile lies a dark secret: a devastatingly controlling and often abusive personality.
Family life is an emotional whirlwind, where what appears to be glamour and fortune is, in reality, a labyrinth of fear and manipulation. Christina, the eldest daughter, tries to follow in her mother’s footsteps in search of approval but constantly faces the brutality of her upbringing. As the story unfolds, we see how the pressures of stardom and the struggle to maintain her public image turn the mother into an increasingly tyrannical figure marked by jealousy and an insatiable need for control.
With heartbreaking moments and others that border on the absurd, the film presents a stark exploration of familial toxicity, highlighting the complex dynamics between love, dependency, and abuse. In this unsettling narrative, Christina struggles to free herself from her mother's shadows and find her own voice in a world where being the daughter of a legend comes at a high cost.