Motherload 2019
Distributed by MOTHERLOAD Films, 296 Cypress Drive, Fairfax, CA 94930
Produced by Liz Canning, Marilyn DeLaure, Erica Tanamachi, Arlene McGlade, and R. Adam Smith
Directed by Liz Canning
Streaming, 86 mins
K-General Adult
Social Movement; Sustainable Living; Transportation
Date Entered: 10/12/2020
Reviewed by Kara Van Abel, Reference Librarian & Liaison to the Collat School of Business & Department of Theatre, University of Alabama at BirminghamMotherload is a thought provoking documentary composed largely of crowdsourced footage. It has a clear message and purpose: the time to normalize cargo bikes is now. The director, Liz Canning, has a personal connection to cargo biking and the film highlights how it has changed her life for the better. Opening with her own personal experience of body image and expectations, she shares how biking transformed her physical and mental health. After her twins were born in 2008, she fell into a depression that was only lifted once she discovered the joys of cargo biking. As Ms. Canning discovered the ability to bike with her kids in tow, she began to feel like herself again.
In a relatively short amount of time, the film covers the history of the bicycle and its unique role as an equalizer for disenfranchised groups like women, racial minorities, and the impoverished. Motherload includes interviews with figures who have been important in the development and spread of the cargo bike. The focus of the film is primarily on the long-tail bike and its uses hauling cargo, which includes babies and small children. This modified bike is used around the world in place of automobiles, and the film seeks to normalize this method of transportation in the United States. Interviews and footage of families who have adopted this lifestyle are included throughout. Importantly, challenges and obstacles associated with this form of transport are not ignored in the film. There is some discussion on the safety concerns of this method of transportation, and the stigma and criticism faced by women who choose to transport their children this way is also addressed. Portland, Oregon is featured as a community with a strong and safe bicycling culture that should be emulated.
The myriad benefits of the cargo bike are featured in Motherload. Many families who are interviewed in the film have sold cars so they can purchase these cargo bikes. These bikes can be expensive, but not more so than owning an automobile. The positive impacts on the environment and mental health are also explored. The film explains how cycling encourages more connection with people and the environment, and these benefits should be more widely understood.
Notably missing from the film is any discussion of the practicalities of cargo biking for families who live in rural areas. Extreme weather and/or climates are also glossed over. One family from West Virginia is shown biking the snow, and there is a brief mention of the momentary inconvenience of biking in the rain. These challenges are presented as worth overcoming to enjoy the myriad benefits of cycling with your family. Given the scope and purpose of the film, this is hardly a criticism.
Motherload is highly recommended for all audiences interested in learning about ways to incorporate more sustainable practices into their daily lives.
Awards:
"Audience Award - San Francisco Green Film Festival; Best International Documentary, Best Director, Best Soundtrack - Hollywood North Film Awards; Filmmaker in Residence - Napa Valley Film Festival