Wow, what a good movie. Actually, Mildred Pierce is a 5-hour HBO miniseries. It follows the life of Kate Winslet 
(Mildred Pierce), who is a divorced mother bringing up two girls in Glendale, CA during the depression and recovery. This is a solid drama with ups and downs, but most importantly very fine acting. I wish more drama like this could be seen instead of the plethora of ridiculous comedy shows on TV and in the movies. I was also impressed with the acting of Melissa Leo (of Homicide, Life on the Street fame). This is definitely one that you should put on your list to see.