A Mother Apart
Poet and activist Staceyann Chin was abandoned by her mother, Hazel, at a young age when she left Jamaica in hopes of making a better life for herself in Canada. The anger and confusion it caused within her became the catalyst for her writing over the next few decades of her life. Now that she has a young daughter of her own, Chin retraces her mother’s steps in documentary A Mother Apart to better understand who her mother was while reflecting on what kind of a mother she wants to be to her own child in this deeply personal journey of motherhood.
Chin begins her search for answers at her mother’s old house in Montreal. Once there, she’s surprised to hear that Hazel’s former neighbours only have pleasant things to say about her despite knowing what she did. Although this scene initially seems like a polite interaction between strangers, it raises what becomes this documentary’s most important question: who is the real version of Hazel, the absentee mother or the glamorous person people have fond memories of? While archive footage of frosty interactions between the pair characterises the tension within their relationship, Chin is keen to dig deeper to find meaning within her mother’s actions, which ultimately leads to a heartfelt conclusion by the time her search draws to a close.
After the pain she endured during her own childhood, Chin is determined to be the best mother she can. Large parts of the film show her teaching her daughter important lessons, encouraging and supporting her at every opportunity. Whether it’s making videos or simply playing together, their interactions are an empowering portrait of what a loving mother-daughter relationship can be, which also connects to the feature’s wider themes of family. Namely, this comes from Chin reconnecting with her younger sister, who lived in Canada with their mother before they later moved to Germany.
A Mother Apart isn’t a conventional documentary. There are no definitive answers or a satisfying explanation to Chin’s questions. Rather, it’s the poet’s journey of discovery that makes this film noteworthy.
Andrew Murray
A Mother Apart does not have a release date yet.
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