Hollywood has been telling stories about mothers and motherhood since the beginning of cinema. I think a case could be made that, as mothers are the hearts of our homes, movie moms are at the center of cinema — whether real, animated or imagined.

Then there is the absence of mothers in film, especially in formulaic fairy-tale stories (Snow White, Cinderella) where the mother dies and a wicked stepmother takes her place. Finding Nemo killed off the young clownfish’s mother and deprived the audience of positive female characters.

I asked my Facebook friends what movie moms they liked best. Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon got the most mentions for her portrayal of several movie moms, especially real-life mother Michaela Odone in Lorenzo’s Oil (1992), who works frantically with her husband to develop medication that will halt the progression of her son’s brain disease. Sarandon was also praised for her fictional moms in Little Women (1994) and Stepmom (1998).

Here are some of our most memorable movie moms.

A coming-of-age story for both a teenage girl, Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez), and her single mother, Grace (Eva Mendez). Ansiedad (her name means “anxiety”) creates her own journey from adolescence to adulthood after studying stories in literature. But she clashes with her mother, who struggles to pay for private school, hold a job and find a man. Lessons are learned all around in this sweet story.

Director Patricia Riggen released Under the Same Moon in 2007 about a little boy who makes his way from Mexico to Los Angeles to find his mother. Riggen has an instinctual grasp of the bond between mother and child. The tension between anxiety and grace is played out in Girl in Progress with sweetness and light. Just in time for Mother’s Day, the film opens on May 11.

The mother in Precious is the saddest and most harrowing in recent cinema. Here, Oscar-winner Mo’Nique is Mary, a vicious and grotesque mother who physically and emotionally abuses her teenage daughter, Precious, played by Gabourey Sidibe.

Abused and deserted by the man who raped Precious, Mary has a chance at redemption as her daughter is about to become an adult. Yet she lives in denial and cannot put anyone else first. She is the unhappiest of women.

Patricia Clarkson plays Joy, the mother to three children and wife to Jim. They are a modern dysfunctional family. The eldest daughter, April (Katie Holmes), left home the year before, unable to get along with Joy. Now it is Thanksgiving and the parents, two other children and a grandmother are on their way to Manhattan.

Incredible as it is to Joy, April is going to cook Thanksgiving dinner for them. But Joy has breast cancer and has undergone a double mastectomy. She must confront her failing physical health as well as her lack of maternal nurturing.

Although Joy seems unable to overcome her resentment for her eldest child, the film shows that change is possible and hope can flourish when we allow generosity and familial love to flourish.

Jesse Owens (PBS, premieres May 1, 8 p.m. E/P): This one-hour documentary shows the life of Jesse Owens, the African-American athlete who won four gold medals in track at the 1936 Olympics in Germany. Adolf Hitler refused to meet Owens and, when the 22-year-old returned to the United States, he couldn’t even ride in the front of a bus. The film adds stark realism to the sports-hero genre and racism in American history.

GCB (Sundays, ABC, 10/9): Based on the novel Good Christian Bitches, this deflated comedy is cartoonish and superficial with only hints of depth and feeling that may never emerge. It stars Kristin Chenoweth and David James Elliott. ABC should watch its language and its depiction of women. They have a new show called Don’t Trust the B— in Apt 23 that pushes the limits of comedy to shock. I don’t see a future for either of these shows.

The Hunger Games
This is an excellent imagining of the teen novel by Suzanne Collins about a totalitarian government that creates a reality television show where teens kill one another to maintain control of districts. The Hunger Games is a movie with a teen girl as the heroine and youth who have character and values. Violence and peril in context.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
An animated version of Dr. Seuss’ 1971 book. It’s more a solemn sermon than a delightful tale, but its message about care for the earth — one of the themes of Catholic social teaching — is for all time. Fine for all ages.

October Baby
A college freshman develops health issues and discovers that she was adopted and survived a botched abortion. The film has a good heart, but it is 100 minutes of mediocre acting and pedantic dialogue, with seven minutes that will move you to tears. October Baby is for viewers 13 and up. Mature themes; sexuality and abortion.