REVIEW: Motherland (2009)

Six young adults who perish prematurely leaving a gaping void in their families are the silent stars of Jennifer Steinman’s riveting documentary, Motherland. Out of sight but never out of mind, they unite their American mothers through a shared grief that eventually leads these courageous women on a pilgrimage to South Africa to begin healing together. Assisting at elementary schools and partaking in grief counseling with students (many of whom have lost parents to AIDS), they each relive their individual story of how their loved one passed away. Particularly painful are the stories of Anne Magill who lost her daughter, Grace, to suicide and Mary Helena who lost her son, Aaron, in a shooting and suffered a debilitating stroke herself, all within a 14-month period. Along the way, Steinman explores how Americans often isolate themselves in times of mourning while Africans, who live in a perpetual state of grieving surrounded by poverty and AIDS, unite as a community. Witnessing this therapeutic journey, you ultimately come to realize that the motherland in question is not only the physical change of scenery but also the mental and emotional landscape that these women hope to reclaim. (Liesl Swanbeck)