So I stumbled onto the short film, My Mom and the Girl, while visiting a podcast group I am a member of on Facebook. The film’s writer/producer/director, Susie Singer Carter, had posted a link to her ALZ related podcast in the group, and I had contacted her to make a connection with a friend who dealt with some of the day to days of being the primary caregiver for a parent with ALZ. I decided to give the short a watch, as it was readily available to me on Amazon Prime.
The short starts with a late-night episode with her mother (played epically by Valerie Harper, Broadway and Hollywood star extraordinaire prior to her passing in August of 2019), and jumps right into the day to day of the reality of dealing with a parent in the late stages of ALZ, or being a caregiver (played wonderfully by Liz Torres).
Now, I can say with certainty, that I have very little knowledge which would allow me to empathize with Susie’s character in the film, but as someone who lost his grandmother to ALZ and Dementia, I understand the loss, before the actual “loss”. This was a powerful short film, and I recommend giving it a watch, especially if you have experienced this sort of personal trauma in your life.
The film was lauded with awards*, and was indeed Oscar eligible in 2018, however was not included. Overall, a good and easy watch, with a story that fills the short runtime to the brim.
Rating: 4 out of 5 – Worth the watch.
*LA Shorts Festival, LA,USA 09/07/2016 IndieFest, La Jolla, USA 10/12/2016 – 10/25/2016 -WON: MERIT OF EXCELLENCE BEST LEADING ACTRESS – VALERIE HARPER Best Shorts Film Competition LA 11/03/2016 – 11/16/2016 – WON: MERIT OF EXCELLENCE WOMEN FILMMAKER LA Femme Int.Film Fest.LA 11/21/2016 Connect Film Festival,Melbourne, Australia 12/03/2016 – WON: *BEST FILM” (of festival)/ *BEST DIRECTOR” (of festival)/ JURY NOMINATIONS: *BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR *BECHDAL AWARD *GOLDEN HORSE *BEST COMEDY *SOCIAL MERIT AWARD Anchorage Int. Film Festival Anchorage, Alaska,12/12/2016 Sedona Int. Film Festival, Sedona Arizona 02/17/2017 Cinequest Int. Film Fest., San Jose, CA 03/04/2017 Cleveland Int. Film Fest., Cleveland, Ohio 04/01/2017 -WON: Programmers Choice/Honorable Mention – Best Female Filmmaker Newport Beach Film Festival, NewPort Beach CA, 04/13/2017 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at The Cannes Film Festival 5/21/17, Cannes Short Film Corner 5/25/17 -WON: HONORABLE MENTION – BEST LGBTQ SHORT FILM; KCET FINE CUT WINNER Palm Springs International ShortFest 6/20-28/2017 Atlanta ShortsFest 07/07/17-07/08/17 – WON: BEST ACTOR (VALERIE HARPER) & BEST ENSEMBLE CAST NOMINATED: BEST SHORT, BEST DIRECTOR, AUDIENCE CHOICE
