Mothers are the heart and soul of a family; at their best, they are pillars of strength and unconditional love who help shape their children in profound ways. Hollywood has never shied away from giving mothers their rightful praise, with some of the most beloved and iconic films being centered on motherhood and its many trials and tribulations. Demonstrating the sometimes difficult dynamic between mother and child has been a go-to in cinema for decades, and has produced impressive and memorable results with more to come, as motherhood becomes culturally redefined.

From epic comedies like Bad Moms and Serial Mom, to touching melodramas such as Room and Steel Magnolias, the depiction of motherhood has been front and center in many great films in industry, alongside wonderful depictions of sisterhood. These pictures have the power to make audiences laugh and smile, or weep and despair, and everything else in between. Considering one of the most critically acclaimed and provocative films on motherhood, The Lost Daughter, is still being discussed and reviewed, let’s jump into some of the most iconic movies about motherhood ever made.

Related: The Lost Daughter Review: Deconstructing Mama

10 Serial Mom

The king of camp and surrealism, John Waters wrote and directed 1994’s cult classic Serial Mom, starring Kathleen Turner as the titular mother, and features Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake, and Matthew Lillard. The black comedy tells the story of Beverly Sutphin, a seemingly perfect all-American mother who’d do anything for her children—even kill. When she’s not cooking delicious meals or separating her recyclables, Beverly is off murdering anyone who she percieves to be slighting her family or has weak moral values. This hilarious Waters flick was initially a box office bomb but found new life as a cult classic, and playfully subverts the traditional image of the 'suburban soccer mom.'

9 Mommie Dearest

Based on the abusive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother (silver screen icon Joan Crawford), Mommie Dearest is adapted from Christina’s controversial 1978 autobiography and depicts her upbringing. Starring Faye Dunaway as the titular “mommie” Joan and both Diana Scarwild and Mara Hobel as an adult and young Christina respectively, the film was met with mixed responses, but Dunaway’s heavily charged performance was praised and has been adored by the LGBTQ+ community. Infamous for its bizarre script, Mommie Dearest became an unintentional comedy and has developed a large cult following since its release. Despite not being a warm and fuzzy motherhood movie, the biographical drama is memorable and quite enthralling, and an important touchstone for anyone who's had a narcissistic parent.

8 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Featuring an impressive A-list cast including Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Maggie Smith, and Ellen Burstyn, 2002’s Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is an adaptation of the 1996 Rebecca Wells novel. The film centers on Siddalee (Bullock) who receives a scrapbook from her estranged mother (Burstyn) detailing the exciting adventures of the “Ya-Yas,” her mother’s childhood friends. The emotional and moving movie details the strained relationship of the leads, as well as its ultimate repairment. The talented female-driven cast and the touching premise makes Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood a mother-daughter staple.

7 Bad Moms

With a hilarious cast of some of Hollywood’s funniest women, 2016’s Bad Moms follows three unappreciated and exhausted mothers who ditch their responsibilities for a taste of freedom and fun after reaching their breaking points. Featuring the talent of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as the trio of burned-out mothers, Bad Moms is a wildly entertaining farce that offers a unique twist on the traditional domestic comedy. The girl-power film is jam-packed with good-natured debauchery, wild antics and uproarious performances from its leading ladies. The success of the film led to a sequel, 2017’s A Bad Moms Christmas.

6 Lady Bird

Detailing the strained relationship between a high school senior and her mother, Lady Bird is an Oscar-winning dramedy headed by the accomplished Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. The coming-of-age tale follows Christine, who gives herself the name “Lady Bird” and dreams of artistic hopes and attending college on the east coast. She seems ungrateful to her mother Marion, though, and the film showcases the mounting tensions between the pair as Lady Bird prepares to graduate. The movie earned a standing ovation at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and earned Ronan a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

5 Mamma Mia!

The 2008 jukebox musical rom-com Mamma Mia! is based on the songs of pop group ABBA and features a stunning cast including Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. The musical follows a bride-to-be as she attempts to discover the identity of her real father before her upcoming nuptials. Seyfried stars as the aforementioned bride Sophie, and iconic actress Meryl Streep appears as her mother Donna. With the help of her mother’s diaries, Sophie invites three potential men to her wedding in hopes of determining her biological father. This feel-good film is full of fun and silly musical numbers, but also touchingly highlights the powerful bond between mother and daughter.

Related: Best Movie Musicals of the 21st Century, So Far

4 Mermaids

1990’s family dramedy Mermaids takes place in the '60s and follows a carefree mother and her two daughters as they move to a small town in Massachusetts. Featuring memorable performances from Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci as the daughters, Cher shines the most as unconventional mother Rachel, who relocates her daughters each time she ends a relationship. Mermaids depicts the events and tribulations the ladies go through that ultimately strengthen their familiar bonds, and is both an excellent coming-of-age movie and an essential meditation on the meaning of motherhood.

3 Room

The critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning film Room is a dark and deeply moving story about a young woman who has been held captive in an enclosed space for seven years while raising her five-year-old son (who was born in captivity). Based on the Emma Donoghue novel of the same name, the film documents the pair’s gradual escape to the outside world and its subsequent trauma. The eloquent and gripping drama features powerhouse performances by Brie Larson, who won an Oscar portraying Joy Newsome, and Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son Jack. Room received universal acclaim and is a harrowing and heartbreaking example of a mother’s love and dedication to her child.

Related: These Are Movies With Great Performances By Young Actors

2 Steel Magnolias

Based on the 1987 Robert Harling play of the same name, Steel Magnolias highlights the bond a group of women develop when faced with a tragic loss in a small Southern town. With an ensemble cast of some of Tinsel Town’s greatest leading ladies (Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley McClaine, and Dolly Parton), Steel Magnolias is an emotionally driven and powerful representation of female friendship and motherly love. The film earned Roberts a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Shelby, a young woman battling type-one diabetes. The melodrama is a touching and poignant movie full of tears, laughter, and heartfelt messages of the importance of family and friends, having become a mother-daughter staple.

1 Terms of Endearment

Profiling the thirty-year relationship between Aurora Greenway and her daughter Emma, Terms of Endearment is a classic tearjerker dramedy starring the brilliant Shirley MaClaine and Debra Winger. MaClaine fully delivers as the loving yet controlling Aurora, who ultimately leads headstrong Emma (Winger) running off to marry her college professor. The emotionally driven film tugs at the audience's heartstrings, balancing melancholy and humor. The Oscar-winner also featured an impressive supporting cast of Hollywood heavyweights (Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels and Danny DeVito) who act as male counterparts to the women who act as the beating heart of the film. With a bittersweet and gut-wrenching ending, Terms of Endearment is one of the greatest and most acclaimed examples of motherhood in cinema.