Jersey gal Marnie Minervini (Oscar winner Susan Sarandon) has only ever wanted the best for people, most of all her only daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne), who is out in Los Angeles struggling to produce a semi-autobiographical TV sitcom. When her husband passes suddenly, Marnie finds herself feeling idle. Hey, why not move to L.A. to help Lori out from time to time?

Make that all the time. Marnie’s loving battery of calls, texts and impromptu visits add to, rather than subtract from, Lori’s job stress and heartache over her recent breakup from movie star Jacob (Jason Ritter, also appearing at this year’s Festival in The Steps.) Lori is forced to set some boundaries—a foreign concept to Marnie, who has never met a human being she hasn’t deemed in need of her fathomless—and frequently smothering—love, cheerfulness, generosity or general assistance.

Marnie takes tentative steps towards making her own friends and dating again (her lucky companions are played by Michael McKean and Oscar winner J.K. Simmons), but is she ready to behold a surrogate version of herself in all her smothering glory once Lori’s sitcom gets green-lit? Anchored by Sarandon’s irresistible performance, The Meddler is a big-hearted, often hilarious journey of late-life renewal—and a reminder of how important it is to not take family dynamics for granted. – Jaie Laplante