Books dive deeper into the internal monologue of this connection. The Oedipal Legacy: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

Meanwhile, European cinema was plumbing darker depths. (1963) is a dreamscape of maternal anxiety. The protagonist, Guido, is a film director suffering creative block. In his fantasies, he is visited by a gigantic, comforting mother figure who bathes him and then transforms into a prostitute. Fellini literalizes the Madonna/whore complex that haunts the mother-obsessed male artist: the mother is the source of all comfort and all sexual confusion.

The late 20th century saw a backlash against the "mommy dearest" narrative. Films began to permit sons not just to leave, but to actively indict their mothers.