LETTER TO MY MOTHER (19 Min)
Review by 36th Kassel documentary International Film Festival, Germany
A film that shows a processing through media: a fearless and strong autobiographical examination. LETTER TO MY MOTHER chooses a radically intimate perspective. It is an examination that touches upon the center of the pain and that dares to look precisely. It finds exact scenes for despair and cruelty and searches openly for ways of coping.
Director, Producer, and Scriptwriter: Amin Maher
Cast: Dariush Baradari, Amin Maher
Director of photography: ِDavid Simon Groß
Sound Artist: Ynez de Zilón
Sound design and mix: Benedikt Ludwig, Alex F
Edit: Amin Maher
Cinematographer: Mamoun Abufarha
First Assistant Director: Niki Nemati
Sound Recordist: Adam Asnan, Ali Nikkhouy
Logline: A son pushes at the bounds of his relationship with his mother as he unpicks the psychological consequences of the violence he suffered.
Synopsis: In a bold and heartfelt cinematic letter to his mother, the filmmaker Amin Maher reveals the most painful of childhood secrets. The film explores gender confusion, sexuality, guilt and repression in relation with violence and identity. “Letter to my Mother" is a means for survival, a way to stand and speak up and to understand. It is an attempt to break taboos and push boundaries – both social and personal, and to create life and art out of the darkest experiences. There are times when cinema itself seems implicated in this difficult story, charting abuse that began at the exact time he was appearing in Abbas Kiarostami’s Ten (2002) which was nominated for the Palmed'or at Cannes film festival and featured the real-life relationship between his mother and Amin.
Color, HD, 16:9 | 20 Min | 2019, Germany-Iran