3 documentaries about motherhood you should watch

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These documentaries show how is the relationship between the mother and her children, among others. Find out which films we are talking about

Motherhood is a very broad category that has been treated in different artistic works, from literature to cinema. How do they relate to their children and other family members? How is the personality of a woman affected after having a child? How to show and problematize what motherhood means? These are some of the questions that art is asked when speaking about the subject.

Leer en español: 3 documentales sobre maternidad que debes ver

Here, in LatinAmerican Post, we present three documentaries about motherhood that were screened at this year's Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI).

1. Nijolė – Sandro Bozzolo

This documentary by the Italian Sandro Bozzolo shows the life of Nijolė Šivickas, a Lithuanian artist who settled in Colombia in 1950 after getting married. In the Latin American country, she explored the pre-Columbian indigenous artistic tradition and focused on ceramics as work material.

The documentary shows us Nijolė in her daily life of her old age: we see how she works, her thoughts and, especially, the relationship with her son Antanas Mockus, politician and former mayor of Bogotá, known for his civic pedagogy.

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Thus, we see how they relate, how they travel to Lithuania and meet their culture after so many years living in Colombia. The documentary portrays what life is like for an artist who left her roots and how her thought affected her son's particular way of being. As the film curator Annina Wettstein affirms, "it's basically a look at a mother whose independence and critical social spirit were his constant inspiration".

2. The disappearance of my mother – Beniamino Barrese

This documentary by the Italian Beniamino Barrese shows us the relationship he has with his mother, Bennedeta Barzini, the famous Italian model who posed with Vogue and hobnobbed with Andy Warhol. She, in addition to the above, is also recognized for having a critical stance towards the industry and the concept of beauty, for which she would become a feminist and teacher years after her boom on the catwalks.

We see how she relates to her son who wants to record her, despite her wishes not to want to show herself in pictures. Therefore, there is a tension between the two that become arguments, but at the same time a bridge of intimacy is built, in which the director tries to approach the imposing figure of his mother.

Finally, the documentary revolves around Benedetta's desire to disappear and how she begins to organize her life to do so. In that sense, it also shows the process of a son trying to capture the last images of his mother before she disappears from his life.

3. After Norma – Jorge Botero

What happens to a family when the mother has a terminal illness? How to live with her absence after the tragic day? These are some of the questions posed by the Colombian documentary Jorge Botero about his mother and the effect of her death on his family.

During the film, we see images of childhood and relatives that are contrasted with the sadness and worry in the last days of Norma. Likewise, it shows us the relationship between Jorge and his father after the mother is no longer there to mediate between them.

Ultimately, we are witnessing a process of catharsis through mourning through artistic creation, the documentary in this case; we are witnesses of the importance and weight of motherhood and more when their main figure is no longer present.

LatinAmerican Post | Gabriel Bocanegra
Translated from "3 documentales sobre maternidad que debes ver"