The title gives the plot away, but that does not prevent Nick Green’s documentary, Con Mum, for being such a sad viewing experience.
Graham Hornigold, 45, is a well-known pastry chef, with an established business and a happy marriage to fellow chef, Heather, who is expecting their first child. Graham grew up with an abusive father and absent mother; that had emotionally affected him in ways he did not quite comprehend till a woman called Dionne got in touch with him, claiming to be his mother. She has all the details right and Graham is overjoyed to connect with her.
The benign-looking woman in her eighties, claims to be super-rich and the “illegitimate child of the Sultan of Brunei.” She certainly lives the high life, staying in luxurious hotels. She said she had cancer and just six months to live, which was devastating for Graham, who barely got any time to spend with his long-lost mother. His affection for Dionne is genuine, but there may have also been a tiny hint of greed there, the hope of inheriting the millions she claimed to possess.
Then, the conning began—Graham started ignoring his wife, and following Dionne around, he ended up paying exorbitant bills. It does not look like an old, ill woman could be a scammer, but she defrauds not just Graham but others before him too.
In these times, people ought to be cautious, but they are still so gullible. In Graham’s case, it is doubly tragic, because she took advantage of his hunger for maternal love that he missed on as a child. A DNA test shows that she was really his mother, so the viewer is left fuming on his behalf. She not just cheats him financially, but emotionally too, leaving him broke and wrecked – his career in tatters, his marriage destroyed.
Con Mum is a typical Netflix true crime documentary—talking heads, photos, real audio and video recordings. It is watchable because Graham and his circle are such nice, caring, honest people; he does not deserve to have his heart broken by this manipulative, callous woman.
Graham painfully reconstructs his career, cynical about the concept of family, but building his own tribe from among the people he works with in the kitchen. Dionne is unrepentant and obviously refused to appear in the documentary. What could she possibly say? There can be no justification for swindling anybody, but breaking the trust of her son is just unpardonable. What’s worse, at her age, fate will allow her to get away with her crime.
Con Mum
Directed by Nick Green
On Netflix
