At My Mother’s Breast 2005
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Joe MacDonald for National Film Board of Canada
Director n/a
DVD, color, 56 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Psychology, Health Sciences, Interpersonal Communication
Date Entered: 04/21/2006
Reviewed by Ernarosa Tominich, MLS, Trocaire College Library, Buffalo NY"The filmmaker's mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all had breast cancer. She has lived for most of her life knowing that she might be next. Instead of reacting with denial, she decided to explore her feelings of grief and fear with the other women of her family"--Container.
Heather is a young woman who creates a visual diary of family vignettes as a coping strategy to deal with the apprehension, fear, loss and eventual grief brought about by her family’s genetic predisposition to breast cancer. By talking directly to the viewer as well as through discussions with her mother, aunts and cousins, Heather explores her feelings about the disease which took the life of her grandmother, and three out of four of her aunts.
This video is an exploration into mother daughter bonding relationships, and of strong women who choose to live and fight rather than succumb. The message is clear: looking at death clears the head, and mother daughter relationships transcend the grave. Women are always their mother’s little girls even after mother dies. Let your mother 'mother' you while she is still around to do it; pass on to your daughter, not the fear of getting cancer but rather the sharing of activities such as basting that turkey and baking those cookies.
This DVD production is of good composition and sound. Some of the frames are a bit blurry but overall, this is a quality exploration into feeling and events few of us wish to explore.
At My Mother’s Breast is Recommended for a general audience and inclusion in all types of libraries regardless of type or size.