Award-winning cinematographer Carson McKinnon was in attendance for the premiere of his feature directorial debut MOTHER AND ME at FilmQuest Festival in Provo, Utah on Oct 26th. A dark story with a small, yet strong cast left the audience applauding until the end credits completed. MOTHER AND ME is a psychological thriller infusing themes of trauma, abuse, neglect and the horrific impacts these have on one’s upbringing. Caylee Cowan plays Casey, a homeschooled teenager and daughter of a famous horror author that passed away years prior. She lives with her abusive and overbearing mother, Janelle, played by Tara Janae Smith, whose mission it is to force her daughter to follow in the steps of her late husband and pen a horror novel using abhorrent tactics.
Casey is a taciturn young girl who dreams of one day becoming a ballerina and reminisces fond memories of her late father. However, her mother Janelle’s ultimate goal is for Casey to be a writer, like her famous deceased husband, so she can profit from it. Janelle denies her daughter food by locking the fridge with a chain and rewards her with meals only if she finishes her daily pages. The manipulating and gaslighting behaviours Janelle continuously applies such as verbal and physical abuse in order to maintain control over her daughter is a tough watch if you’ve ever grown up with narcissistic parents. Casey’s natural aptitude of painting terrifying depictions of Janelle is her only outlet whenever her mother is cruel towards her.
Once Casey meets Steven (Brady Noon), she gets her first glimpse of the outside world. Having to sneak around a strict parent contains a constant fear of being caught and its ramifications, but Casey’s curiosity about what’s beyond her isolated world leads to learning about what it feels like to experience joy, tenderness and love. Casey just wants to be appreciated, and her blossoming relationship with Steven shows her an attainable future should she ever break free from the clamps of her pugnacious mother.
There is an overt theme of forced nepotism depicted in MOTHER AND ME as Janelle and her late husband’s publisher pressure Casey to write a horror novel because she’s the daughter of a famous horror author and can make a lot of money. Casey’s lack of interest in writing horror and preference for fantasy, however, increases tension between the characters and for the audience watching. Tensions escalate as more risks are taken with Steven resulting in further violence. Another motif in the film is giving birth and the resentment of motherhood. Smith delivers a provocative monologue as she recounts giving birth to Casey in a derogatory fashion that excels in leaving the audience to commiserate with Casey, and all victims of abusive parents.
MOTHER AND ME accomplishes a lot with a small cast and short film shoot. Throughout the film, we see dreamy shots of Casey as a ballerina that bring to mind similar dark themes in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and nightmarish scenes showing Casey diligently working at her typewriter. Cowan and Smith deliver outstanding performances that are evident on screen; they had to go to deep, dark depths in order to portray their characters. The final outcome is gruesome, sad and not for the faint of heart (no pun intended for those who have seen the film).
