ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <link href="../css/sxswreviews.css" rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <title>True View Review of Motherland and Mine</title> </head> <body> <div id="outerwrapper"> <div id="reviewheader"> <a href="../../sxsw2009.htm"> <img src="../../graphics/TrueViewReviewsLogo.jpg" alt="Click to Return to Prevous Page" class="reviewimg" /></a> </div> <div id="reviewpane"> <p class="h1"> Motherland: A</p> <p class="h1"> Mine: A</p> <p>It would be nice to have the option of cloning myself so that I could make it to all the screenings and all the red carpet events and interviews that I want to attend at SXSW, but alas, I am just one person in an ocean of films, talent and mayhem. For the moment I want to focus on two documentaries and two best friends  Motherland and Mine  the first directed by Jennifer Steinman and the second, by her best friend, Geralyn Pezanoski. These dynamic, passionate women began a production studio together call SMUSH Medias and have collaborated on two very different, and yet equally remarkable films.</p> <p>I ll begin with Motherland, a film about six women, loss and a journey to South Africa and above all, healing. When I read the synopsis for this film I grew instantly interested. I, too, have lost a child  not a teen, but an infant. Still, losing a child is something for which there is no measure. But Steinman s film is far more than a film about women grieving for their children; it is an odyssey of hope and healing and it is a lesson in resilience and faith.</p> <p>Because I have been to South Africa, because I am a mother and because I understand loss, Motherland moved me in more ways than one and Steinman manages to tell a multi-layered tale, encompassing a plethora of emotions and lessons. After finding six women, Steinman organized a volunteer trip to South Africa. She told me that helping in South Africa is a personal passion of hers and this coupled with watching a good friend grieve for the loss of her son made up the main elements that inspired film, but that it became so much more.</p> <p>While Motherland offers many themes, central to the film is the grieving women s healing process. We as American s tend to internalize and isolate when we are in pain. We suffer alone, believing, I think, that we solitary in our pain, but Motherland, show us that this is not the case. South Africa is a continent that knows loss  the deaths of thousands during and since the apartheid and the devastation of the AIDS pandemic. Yes, mothers in South Africa know loss. What the women of Motherland discover is that in the wake of this gaping hole left by death, the women (the entire continent for that matter) ban together to heal.</p> <p>Steinman s film is a catalyst for healing and it is a mark of hope. The stories for these six women and the changes that take place when they reach out to help and in turn learn to reach out for help is remarkable and inspiring. In the short time I have to write here, I can in no way cover all the layers of this film. What the women learn in South Africa goes beyond personal growth, as they meet families and most notably children who have little  nothing really  and still know joy. They light up for a hug and sing for the sheer pleasure of it. Motherland filled my heart with a mix of emotions and that is the mark of a good documentary. I will most certainly watch it again and hopefully, if given permission, share some aspects with my students in our study of South Africa, its culture and its literature. I am placing an A in my grade book. Information on screenings and ways to see Motherland can be found at <a href="http://www.motherland-thefilm.com">www.motherland-thefilm.com</a> and it is well worth the journey.</p> <p>Now I get to Mine, the story of  the essential bond between humans and animals told against the backdrop of post-Hurricane Katrina America. Director Pezanoski flew to New Orleans to follow what happens to dogs and the families from who they are separated after a natural disaster. Again, this film hit home for me. As a huge animal over and the founder of the Junior Human Society in my hometown, I was drawn to this film and I want to stress, it is NOT another  Katrina film. It is a journey chronicling rescue efforts, good intentions and the people and pets caught in a web of misinformation and emotion.</p> <p>Pezanoski follows five Katrina survivors as they search for their pets in the weeks, months, and even years after the storm. She does an amazing job staying balanced and objective in her storytelling  looking not only at the plight of the dogs original owners, but also at the perspective of those who believed they were helping by adopting these pets. Where I was angry as I watch one woman say she would not return a dog to its original owner, Pezanoski showed me how mistakes were made, stories were crossed and dogs and people s feelings got lost in the mess. Pezanoski herself adopted a Katrina dog and to this day wonders what she would do if faced with the decisions as to whether or not to return her now beloved pet to its owner, so in more ways than one this story is personal to her.</p> <p>When I watched the film at SXSW, I sat next to Jesse, a New Orleans resident who had to evacuate twenty members of his family and who was forced to leave his dog JJ behind  believing he would return in a day or two, only to find himself in a custody battle for the pet he raised from a puppy. Jesse had not seen the film before this day and a wave of emotion flooded this peaceful, patient man. His story, like the others, pulls at the heart and I felt emotions ranging from deep sorrow to out and out anger. Jesse and the others in the film are only five of many and my heart breaks now for all involved. Pezanoski reminds us about the human animal connection that so many of us take for granted and others will never understand. Distribution for Mine, like Motherland, is still up in the air, but I am praying for Animal Planet or something of the kind to pick it up. Information regarding it can be found at <a href="http://minethemovie.com/wp/?cat=1">www.minethemove.com</a> and I know I will be following its progress myself. I am placing an A in my grade book for Mine too.</p> <p>I strongly believe that both Motherland and Mind need to find wide audiences. They are films that will shed light and make us feel. They are stories that touch the soul and can only serve to educate us on oh so many aspects of humanity. They are quality filmmaking from two extremely remarkable women, whose passion for their subjects and craft inspires me and I know they will do the same for others.</p> <p>NOTE: For SXSW goers  Motherland is screening again on Wednesday March 18th at 4:30pm at the Alamo Draft House South and Mine is screening on Tuesday the 17th at the same theatre at 4:00pm and again on Saturday the 21st at the Austin Convention Center Festival Theatre at 4:30pm.</p> <p class="byline"> Laurie Coker , True View Reviews </p> </div> </div> <div> <p class="copyright"> Copyright&copy;2009 Laurie Coker-Renee Collins. All rights reserved. </p> </div> <div class="cert"> <a href="http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referer"> <img src="../../graphics/valid-xhtml10.gif" alt="Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional" class="w3c" /></a> <a href="http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/images/vcss-blue"> <img src="../../graphics/vcss-blue.gif" alt="Valid CSS!" class="w3c" /></a> </div> </body> </html>