Welcome back to another installment of SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT, where we highlight some of the best short films out there. This week we take a look at Mother's Day, a documentary directed by Elizabeth Lo, exploring how children are affected by the incarceration of their parents in the state of California.
In this film, a group of youngsters get on a bus sponsored by a charity to go visit their mothers on Mother's Day. However, it's no ordinary trip for them. For these kids, this is the only chance they are able to see their mothers while they are in prison.
Mother's Day from Elizabeth Lo on Vimeo.
The first scene set the tone for the rest of the film for me. A little boy was reading a letter he had written to his mother. There was a little hand painted blue on it. That image represented childhood and innocence for me.
The interaction between the mothers and the children was emotional to say the least. The mothers felt guilty about not being there during the most important moments of their child's lives. The children depicted in the film were happy to see their mothers and did not show anger or resentment toward them. They were clearly heartbroken when it was time to leave and they had to say goodbye. That part was the most painful for me to watch because it is difficult for a child to be separated from their mother or father under any circumstances.
Having a parent in prison as a young person has a profound impact on their development. It won't necessarily destroy them; but it will definitely make them stronger individuals. However, it may affect their self-worth and their teen years in a negative way. Hopefully, these children and their mothers have a good family support system to keep this from occurring.
This short film was just completed this year and I think we will be seeing quite a bit more from Elizabeth Lo as a director and filmmaker. Mother's Day reminded me of how fortunate I was growing up.
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