SPOILER WARNING: There are some main spoilers about Con Mum beneath. When you’ve but to observe the brand new true crime documentary, please go test it out with a Netflix subscription earlier than studying.
I watch quite a lot of true crime reveals and flicks. I’m speaking an unhealthy quantity. That mentioned, after watching so many documentaries about cults, kidnappings, and murders, I believed that Con Mum, a 2025 Netflix unique wouldn’t make me extremely unhappy after watching, however that’s what occurred. The brand new documentary a few man reconnecting along with his long-lost mom solely to search out himself entangled in an more and more sophisticated sequence of scams and false guarantees was upsetting for certain, greater than I may have ever imagined.
Now that I’ve had just a few days to consider Con Mum and collect my ideas on what was one of many extra unnerving and maddening documentaries I’ve watched on the 2025 film schedule up to now, I’ve to speak about it and why it made me so dang unhappy.
Once more, spoilers forward…
First Off, Con Mum Was A Riveting Documentary From Begin To End
I used to be hooked just about as quickly as I pressed play on Con Mum with its story about London-based pastry chef Graham Hornigold being contacted by a lady claiming to be his mom who wished to reconnect after 45 years aside. I stored pondering to myself, “The place is that this going?” So I needed to discover out, and I’m glad I did. There are cons after which there’s what occurs on this riveting documentary.
Over the course of the following hour and a half, I couldn’t cease watching as I attempted to determine what was actually happening with Dionne’s story as layers to her story have been peeled again to disclose much more outrageous claims (like she was the daughter of the previous sultan of Brunei) and schemes by the mysterious 85-year-old girl. Because it grew to become clear that her absurdly luxurious life-style was constructed on lies and different victims’ hard-earned money (with related tales concerned), I used to be on the sting of my seat making an attempt to determine all of it out.
The Complete Time, I Was Ready For Dionne To Not Be Graham’s Actual Mother
You may name it the “Catfish” impact, and you may name it muscle reminiscence, however I spent a big chunk of Con Mum ready for it to be revealed that Dionne and Graham had no relation. I imply, so many documentaries and flicks about con artists, grifters, and scammers finish with an individual not being who they mentioned they have been, and I believed this was going to be the newest addition to the record.
The indicators have been all there for this to be some legendary con artist who discovered a profitable pastry chef on-line, dug round to search out out he was given up for adoption as a child, and had no contact along with his beginning mom. Dionne had a historical past of pulling off large cons, and was clearly a professional at this contemplating her life-style, and all her different victims’ tales had me pondering Graham was simply her newest goal; somebody she may benefit from for some time after which break up. I imply, at one level she was even going behind his again to con his buddies and badmouthing him. I simply stored pondering this was so random grifter pondering just a few steps forward earlier than disappearing into the evening.
Nevertheless it was one thing far worse…
My Coronary heart Sank As Quickly As The DNA Outcomes Got here In. Like, How May You Do This To Your Child?
The second in Con Mum the place it’s revealed that there was a 99.9 p.c certainty that Dionne was the truth is Graham’s mom hit me like a wrecking ball. My coronary heart simply sank when this globe-trotting scammer with an incomprehensible variety of victims was confirmed to really be bleeding her personal flesh and blood of every little thing: cash, future, safety, and the connection along with his personal spouse and son.
Watching this unfold, I stored questioning how may you do that to your child? How may you do one thing like this and keep on as if nothing is going on? How may you lie about having most cancers to exploit much more cash from him and everybody round him? As a dad or mum myself, the considered mendacity to, stealing from, and utilizing my three children for financial achieve is one thing I’ve by no means thought of as a result of that’s not what dad and mom do.
At Instances, I Was So Offended With Graham, However Then I Thought Lengthy And Arduous About It
I’m not going to lie, I discovered myself getting indignant with Graham all through a big chunk of Con Mum. At occasions, I felt like he was willingly wanting the opposite method at any time when folks like his spouse or buddies would inform him that he was being utilized by his mother. On the similar time, I additionally stored questioning how somebody may fall for one lie after one other particularly when Dionne’s tales appeared too good to be true our outright lies.
However then I actually began to empathize with the newest in an extended line of victims by the prolific and frighteningly profitable thief. As soon as I began to assume extra about Graham’s trauma (each lifelong and more moderen) and the way his life was turned the wrong way up simply when he thought he was lastly connecting along with his mother, I felt like a heel being so indignant with him about seemingly being tricked into abandoning his spouse and little one.
I Thought Perhaps There’d Be A Completely happy Ending, However Nope…
There have been a few factors all through Con Mum the place I believed issues have been going to work out for Graham and he would be capable of decide up the damaged items of his life and relationships, protecting his household collectively within the course of. However that doesn’t occur, not less than in the case of the household side. Whereas it’s true that the pastry chef was capable of proceed specializing in his profitable profession in London’s meals scene, he and his accomplice, Heather Kaniuk, determined to separate.
It was actually upsetting to see Graham lose a shot at life with Heather and their son (each now dwelling in New Zealand), attributable to there being a wedge pushed between them by the entire scenario that unfolded with Dionne. He was making an attempt to construct a significant relationship along with his mother solely to have it price him every little thing ultimately.
Although Con Mum put me in a darkish temper and bummed me out fairly a bit, I nonetheless assume it’s one of many greatest documentaries on Netflix and positively value testing.