Exploring themes which range through motherhood, class and race, debut feature Earth Mama from Savanah Leaf is a stunningly quiet but hard hitting film. The young filmmaker has built upon her 2020 documentary short The Heart Still Hums, co-directed by Taylor Russell, and her own lived experiences with an adopted sister to create a world which absorbs every part of you. The camerawork in Earth Mama offers surreal expressionistic moments juxtaposed with raw documentary-esque storytelling and Leaf's forceful authorial voice confidently allows the stunning images of her characters and the Bay Area locations to often say more than is contained in the subtle dialogue. Featuring a captivating debut performance from Tia Nomore the characters of Earth Mama also serve as a love letter to the women and individuals let down by the very systems supposed to protect and guide them.
Review of Earth Mama
Earth Mama
(2023)
Earth Mama lays bare the struggles of marginalized motherhood in a flawed care system
1 December 2023