Mothers

Elina Hyvärinen / Finland / 2012 / 9 min.

synopsis

As soft as dandelion hair and as freezing as the north wind, this poetic black-and-white film – consisting of archival footage of the harsh rural landscape, the chiaroscuro of simple dwelling, and of local people during everyday life and marriage feasts – is accompanied by the profound mystery of birth, an experience during which a woman becomes a mother and the space above the clouds is open wide.

Images of old women’s faces. “How did they do it? How did they do it? They gave birth on floorboards in the sauna or in bed. Did they try not to scream, so the others wouldn’t hear? Did they feel ashamed? Perhaps they cried and got splinters under their nails. Were they afraid they might die?”