My Mom Jayne Review: Archival Gold and Raw Emotion

Mariska Hargitay steps behind the camera to probe one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures—her mother, Jayne Mansfield. In My Mom Jayne, Hargitay wears two hats as director and narrator, driven by a loss she barely recalls: Mansfield’s death in a 1967 crash when Mariska was only three.

This documentary premiered in Cannes Classics before landing on HBO, and its core question is simple yet profound: who lay beneath the platinum wig and publicity stunts? Through Hargitay’s voice—and her palpable desire to reconnect—the film invites us into a personal excavation of fame, family and the gaps memory leaves behind.

Piecing Together Jayne’s Story

Hargitay unfolds the narrative like an investigative game, tracking down clues in the ruins of her childhood home and a dusty storage locker filled with forgotten awards and home movies. She interviews each sibling separately, coaxing out first-hand recollections of Mansfield’s off-screen warmth and vulnerabilities.

These moments alternate with period footage—playboy spreads, talk-show bits and film clips—that chart Jayne’s rise from small-town dreamer to 20th Century Fox’s answer to Marilyn Monroe.

What emerges is an exploration of identity versus illusion, as Hargitay contrasts the “dumb blonde” persona Mansfield adopted on screen with her off-duty roles as mother and multilingual intellectual.

The late-film reveal—that Mariska’s biological father was an Italian singer, not Mickey Hargitay—shifts the narrative’s axis, underscoring themes of belonging and self-discovery. By weaving chronology with this emotional twist, the documentary balances fascination with its star with the raw search for personal truth.

Directorial Touch & Visual Rhythm

Hargitay’s on-camera presence grounds the film in heartfelt reflection, her moments of hesitation and tears reminding us that this is more than a biography—it’s therapy. The editing rhythm mirrors her emotional state: patient when sifting through archival footage, taut when building toward revelations.

Juxtaposing present-day visits to the pink mansion site with grainy home-movie clips gives the visuals a layered texture, while the sound design—soft piano motifs rising into tense string flourishes—guides us through shifting moods.

High-definition restorations make Mansfield’s movies gleam, while the locker’s dusty artifacts feel tactile, almost whispering secrets. Select sequences stand out: a surprise piano discovery that humanizes Jayne, and the Cannes red-carpet montage where mother and daughter’s legacies briefly overlap.

Heartbeats of Memory

Hargitay’s journey moves from curiosity to catharsis as fresh details reshape her sense of self. The film pauses on tearful accounts of the fatal crash, then lifts into quiet joy when the family uncovers her 1956 Golden Globe—now displayed beside Mariska’s own award. Intergenerational echoes surface in scenes of Mariska as a mother, mirroring images of Jayne cradling her children.

These parallels underline the film’s emotional power: it’s not just a portrait of a star, but a reckoning with legacy. Viewers may find themselves reflecting on their own family myths and public facades, feeling the weight of memory’s gaps and the relief that comes from filling them. The documentary earns its most affecting moments by letting Hargitay’s vulnerability guide us through revelation toward resolution.

My Mom Jayne premiered in the Cannes Classics section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2025, and is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on June 20, 2025, followed by a debut on HBO on June 27, 2025.

Full Credits

Director: Mariska Hargitay

Writers: Mariska Hargitay

Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic

Executive Producer: Lauran Bromley

Co-Producers: Steven Bennett, Melissa Glassman, JD Marlow

Cast: Mariska Hargitay, Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, Ellen Hargitay, Rusty Strait

Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Tony Hardmon

Editor: JD Marlow

Composer: Max Avery Lichtenstein