Sans maman

Official Selection – Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie 2018

On August 31, 1995, tragedy struck the Guerrette family when Mona, a mother of two, died from breast cancer at age 42, leaving behind a husband and their daughters, Mylène and Marie-France. But she also left behind a stirring farewell message that would serve as a testament to her life.

How do you survive such a heartbreaking loss when you’re only a child? In putting her life and that of her family up on the big screen, Marie-France Guerrette shares her own private experience of grief with viewers. Interspersed throughout the story, grainy and emotionally charged video footage reconstructs the family mythology. The director points the camera at her loved ones and records heartfelt interviews that have a liberating effect. In the course of her filmmaking journey, the director also discovers an oppressive legacy that she must contend with: the risk of genetic cancer. Gently opening the door to the grieving process, this touching documentary about the filmmaker’s family is a call to action—and a possible roadmap back to the land of the living for anyone who’s ever experienced the devastation of losing a loved one.

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