Blog

Mothers never expect to bury their children. But, it happens.

And when it does, there is a hole in their hearts, sometimes as big as the Grand Canyon. Moving past the pain is a daunting prospect, to say the least.

After the death of a child, how does one find consolation?

That issue is addressed in the documentary “Motherland,” which follows six American mothers as they travel on a 17-day humanitarian mission to help AIDS orphans in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, in an attempt to find comfort and understanding in their own grief. “Motherland” is an honest and emotionally draining trek through a mother’s pain as she goes through the grieving process.

Director Jennifer Steinman, in her debut feature, gives each mother a spotlight to talk about her son or daughter, how they died and its reverberating impact. One by one, the women (Mary Helena, Kathy Jimenez, Anne Magill, Barbara Crandall, Lauren Warner (who went in place of her mother) and Debbi Berto) spill their guts before a camera, reliving their darkest moments.

Read more