The Manchester Review

Mother, Mine (2008), dir. Susan Everett

Mother, Mine is a short film by Leeds-based director Susan Everett. In November, it won the ‘Best Yorkshire Short Award’ as part of the Leeds International Film Festival. Now, it is showing at the Cubby Broccoli Cinema in Bradford as one of six films shortlisted for the Shine Short Film Award (part of the Bradford International Film Festival).

The film begins with Alison, a young woman who has just lost her adoptive mother, producing a video message to send to Margaret, the biological mother that she has never met. ”Hello Mum. My name’s Alison. I was born on the sixth of June, twenty eight years ago. But you know that already, don’t you?… I hope you want to meet me.” Nervously, she puts the video in the post, and waits.

Margaret makes contact and they arrange to meet in a cafe. The two get on well, discover similarities in their lives and personalities – this could be the start of a lovely mother-daughter relationship. Or could it?

Margaret lives a very ordered and domestic life. Everything about her, her home, her clothes, her make-up, is muted, uncontroversial, undramatic – all very beige and magnolia. Meeting Alison changes all that.

The extensive use of close-up shots leaves Kelly Harrison (of Casualty fame), who plays Alison, and Barbara Martin, playing Margaret, nowhere to hide. But they don’t need to. Both play their roles with integrity and great emotion, realistically conveying the guilt and grief involved in being adopted or given up for adoption.

Mother, Mine is a story about needing to love and be loved. The tale is played out very quietly, very gently, and without wanting to give the game away, very chillingly. If you’re one of the people that grabs their coat and runs for the bus the second the credits come on in the cinema, don’t! Another bus will be along in a minute – you need to see the end of this film.

Mother, Mine and the other Shine Short Film Award shortlisted films are showing at the Cubby Broccoli Cinema, Bradford, on 28th March.

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