There’s no requirement that a film must feature likable main characters. That’s good news for Mother and Child, which supports two thorny female leads played by Naomi Watts and Annette Bening. Karen (Bening) gave up her only child at the age of 14; Elizabeth (Watts), a cold, manipulative lawyer, had her tubes tied when she was 17, just to avoid dealing with kids later in life. The motor in Mother and Child, though, is Kerry Washington, who offers a fierce but fragile portrayal of a woman who wants nothing more than to have a child, but is unable to conceive. This is one of those films that start with multiple storylines (three, in this case) that eventually intersect. What a shame that only one of them is a story worth the audience’s attention.