Happy Mother’s Day to all of the great moms out there who consistently go above and beyond for their kids. Moms make the world go round, and without them, I’m not sure what society would look like. To celebrate Mother’s Day, I’m going to write about a few of my favorite moms or motherly figures in movie history.

Before I do that, though, I want to give a shoutout to my own mother, Amy Diaz. I know that at times I can be difficult and not the most pleasant to deal with, but I want to say that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the years, from letting me skip school the day after the Super Bowl to always making sure I had snacks in my dorm. Thank you so much for all you do, Mom. I love you.

Toni Collette as Annie Graham in Hereditary (2018)

Was Toni Collette as Annie Graham necessarily the nicest character in movie history? No, no she wasn’t. But she was attempting to hold a family together following the death of her mom, the decapitation of her daughter, and her son becoming possessed. So for those factors, I have to cut her a little slack, especially when she was clearly being manipulated by Ann Dowd’s character. Eventually, and understandably so, she loses her mind. She watches her husband burn to death and then sort of kills herself while levitating. I’m not entirely sure if this was her doing or her son’s, even after watching this movie five or six times. Nevertheless, Annie Graham is one of my favorite movie moms ever.

Catherine Scorsese as Ms. DeVito in Goodfellas (1990)

One of the most iconic scenes from any Scorsese film, and maybe my all-time favorite, is when Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy go back to Tommy’s house after killing Billy Bats and Tommy’s mom insists on feeding the trio of gangsters. And I say insist because she would not take no for an answer. It didn’t matter what time it was, she was cooking for them. The way Scorsese incorporated his mother into his movies over his career was masterful. It was as if he just told her to be herself and then said, “Action!” But of all the films Catherine Scorsese pops up in, she shines in Goodfellas.

Lillian Gish as Rachel Cooper in The Night of the Hunter (1955)

When you’re first introduced to the character of Rachel Cooper in The Night of the Hunter, you struggle to gather that there will be a redeeming quality to her. She seems crass, strict, and almost evil for just harboring children to work for her. You then realize that she’s in the lives of these children to instill discipline and provide a domicile for these kids who don’t have that. And while I could write all about her normal motherly qualities, what stands out most is her tact to stand on business. She saw right through the facade of Harry Powell and wasn’t scared to fill him with lead in order to protect the children. She’s a rockstar mom who’s a mother to children who aren’t even her own.

Frances McDormand as Elaine Miller in Almost Famous (2000)

Had I watched Almost Famous in high school, I would’ve thought that Elaine Miller was a nag of a mom. A lot of you would probably agree with me on this too. She doesn’t want her son to do drugs. She thinks that rock stars might be a bad influence. What a bitch, right? No, wrong. Elaine Miller is a great mom in film history. Obviously, she’s a little overbearing as she keeps calling Will when he’s on the road with Stillwater, but she did really care about Will. Elaine even cared deeply for Will’s sister Anita despite her angst in her mother’s direction.

Taraji P. Henson as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Queenie from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the most caring characters in film history. Completely forget about the fact that she took in this white baby with a rare condition; she devoted her life to taking care of the residents in her nursing home. Throughout the entire film, she’s always so kind to the people she’s taking care of, and it’s sweet to see. Now, we can factor in that she did take in Benjamin Button when he was dropped on her porch. He’s a baby with a rare deformity, but she accepts him as her own. Whenever he returns home from traveling the world, she’s always there for him, and as the film evolves, he accepts her as his caring mother. It’s a beautiful story.