High Five: Stories of Motherhood

Alyson Felix heroes this pulsing tessellation of maternal financial stress. A pattern of reluctant agreements unravels the emotive core of this social injustice. We see woman after woman, mother after mother, take on the extra work requested of them or suffer devastating consequences. Their words say 'yes', and yet each downtrodden visage screams a rejecting lament. In the poetic visual repetition, we sense the numerous women torn between a spoken 'yes' and a heart’s no.

Even carefully arranged plans never unfold exactly as expected. Our young mother beams with excitement, a humming and snapping trio within her pregnant belly. There’s something wonderfully whimsical about the singing triplets in their amniotic concert hall. This joyful vignette of expectancy celebrates the curveballs that come with becoming a mother.

Mother figures can be our toughest critics. Yet, beneath what may suggest misunderstanding lies a love so fierce and a guidance so instinctual. This film invites us into a warm dining room space where our hero daughter-in-law’s baked brie with honey glazed walnuts falls under the assessing gaze of her mother-in-law. An approving hmmm marks that our heroine has won her mother-in-law’s admiration with culinary prowess. With a uniting ending, this family story plays on and then flips narrative expectations of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bond.

This short documentary tells Mahogany’s incredible story. In foster care for 12 years, Mahogany describes the emotional rollercoaster of constantly moving and the difficulty of that instability and impermanence. After 22 placements, Mahogany met her mum, Angelique. Angelique committed to taking care of Mahogany and loving her, even before she adopted her. This film spotlights both the challenge teens in foster care face and the unending possibility for victorious joy.

Turning the tables on those who hurl "Mummy’s boy!" as an insult, Wretch 32’s music video rejoices in his incredible mum and her influence on his life. The praising lyrics unfold across an elegant funerary scene - a service for our hero’s mum. The narrative blends time, showing our hero - played by Wretch 32 - grieving as both an adult and a child. A chronological waltz that crescendos in an emotive embrace between our hero and his mum. The complexity and beauty of motherhood shines through each of these cinematic gems.