Some Mothers do have 'em

Add a Comment

Comment by Sean Miller on November 24, 2009 at 9:53

Loved the video! I was lucky enough to watch it with my parents and my mum and I were both teary afterwards. We all long to be loved by our parents for who we are, and by a certain age we know if our families are offering conditional or unconditional love. It's natural to reject parents and family when they reject us, but we all keep on secretly (and some not so secretly) wishing they would just say 'I will always love you and you're perfect the way you are'. Thankyou
Sean

Comment by Melina MIchelle Magdalena on November 18, 2009 at 19:18

Oh well done. This really works. And I love your recurring thumbing the nose image! I think you ended your narration in just the right place ... leaving room for more growth and exploration of identity and relationship and pathos.

Comment by Rainbow Family Tree on November 16, 2009 at 11:16

This story explores the impact of homophobia on a mother /daughter relationship and each woman's journey of transformation that finally culminates in a heartfelt reconciliation. All within 2.5 mins! In strange synchronicity, two days after finishing the video, life impersonated art. My mother, who had no idea I was doing this, said "We wasted too much time, over nothing". I had just edited similar words from the story.

The exhilaration of making my story was tempered with a huge feeling of vulnerability. I used my own artwork and exposed a lot about myself. Looking at one's life from a meta view is challenging. It was very painful being disowned by my mother for more than a decade and I struggled to represent this deeply personal wound in the context of the universal destructiveness of hating "them", who ever or what ever "they" may be. Then there was the task of staying light! No small challenge! Maintaining my own voice was surprisingly difficult! I also struggled with not being overly sentimental and whitewashing the damage.

This work, is in reality, a creative collaboration with my friend and mentor, Kirsten U... We had such fun immersed in the creative flow of images, effects, sounds and voiceovers and Kirsten’s brilliance enriched the final story greatly. I really felt again the power of creativity and collaboration that flourishes in my community.

Digital stories seem to be a powerfully democratic tool!