Blog
Review- Kam Williams reviews "Motherland" by Mark Lipsky on 2009-08-25
Moving Documentary Chronicles Humanitarian Mission of Women Bonded by Grief
Mary Helena, Anne, Kathy, Debbi, Barbara and Lauren have little in common other than having each experienced the sudden, unexpected death of a family member. Anne's teenaged daughter Grace slit her own wrists on New Year's Day during their vacation in Florida. Debbi, Barbara and Kathy's young adult sons all died in automobile accidents, while Mary Helena's son and Lauren's brother, both black, were shot in the head.
Mary Helena's grief was compounded by the fact that her boy Aaron had predicted at the age of 13 that he would be dead within two years because living was so dangerous for him as a black male in America. She was subsequently so devastated by the loss that she suffered a stroke less than a year later that left her almost mute and walking with a limp.
What brought these six females from such different backgrounds together was an opportunity to heal afforded by a humanitarian mission to minister to unfortunate folks mired in extreme poverty. So, they travel from the U.S. to the remote City of Oudtshoorn, South Africa to do volunteer work for 17 days with a charity headed by Cheryl Nortje, who is herself a bereaved mom.