Do you remember the biggest fight your parents ever had? How did it make you feel? Do you remember the anxiety and uncertainty of the big bad world of adult problems spilling into your young consciousness? Many of us do, and many of our students are currently carrying these feelings with them through the school gates everyday. New Zealand film maker, Lauren Jackson, packages these intense and unsettling emotions into her 12 minute short film, 'I'm Going to Mum's' in a way that is equal parts confronting, compelling and heartwarming.
Written and directed by Lauren Jackson, with a cast and crew of talented New Zealanders, 'I'm Going to Mum's' debuted in 2013 as a part of the annual International Film Festival. I first saw the film at the Lido Cinema in Hamilton with my mother (film festivals are a bonding experience for the two of us). I have since screened the award winning film in classes in a small South Waikato school, and a single-sex city school. Clothing is a motif in the film, which makes sense when you consider the amount of students we see issued with uniform passes for a hoodie because they left their school jersey at their mum's or dad's house.
To say the film has an emotional impact is an understatement. Students really seem to "get" the ideas Jackson portrays. There is a universality to the child's perspective utilised in the film, even if the students' home lives differ from that portrayed on screen. One particularly relatable gag from the film riffs on the idea that it almost seems to be a right of passage for all grandmothers to lovingly knit garish sweaters for their grandchildren, and that in the name of respecting your elders, we have all been forced to wear a crazy yarn garment we'd never choose for ourselves out in public. We all know the shame that comes with being teased for wearing something that is "weird" or "uncool". In many ways this film is lighthearted, using comedic relief to engage the viewer and sustain emotional investment in the outcome for the protagonist, Jacob, played by Duane Evans Junior.
For those learners who have experienced the tensions and difficulties of parents in conflict, it can hit a nerve, as it can for us teachers who've been there, too. The skillful way in which Jackson presents the family dynamic of only child Jacob (8 years old), and his two split parents (Anthony and Gwen) cuts to the heart of the issue: adult problems have immense capacity to harm young people. And our learners, while no longer children, are young people. On the off-chance that a student has no memories of ever witnessing conflict between their ever-loving parents, (or the more heartbreaking concept of never having met one of their parents) this film functions as a window into the experiences of so many of their peers. For the well-adjusted students from stable homes, where rapture is followed by repair more often than not, the film acts as an opportunity for these blessed teens to develop an awareness of the lived experiences of their peers, and to experience empathy for those that come from "broken" homes.
On the choice of subject matter, Jackson states, "This story was inspired by my own experiences of divorce plus those of my friends and acquaintances. I spoke to several parents sharing care of children and every single time, clothing came up as a day-to-day issue." This personal connection to the experience of confusion, fear and anger that a young person feels in the face of discord between their parents is woven throughout the film. It drips with emotion, from the actor's performance (particularly that of parents Gwen (Narelle Ahrens) and Anthony (Jarod Rawiri), the music (designed by Andrew McMillan) to the costume (designed by Estelle McDonald).
The film speaks for itself, and is free to view on nzonscreen.com, where there are myriad links to background information. It's a gold mine of a text for students to make text-to-world connections, and gives opportunities for learners to show personal insight given the poignancy of divorce in the lives of so many young New Zealanders. Tread with caution, though, as the film cuts deep, and even with the comic relief and wholesome "happy ending" it can bring that hurt from home into the classroom. I'm a firm believer in bringing emotional literacy into the English subject area, though, so if you're feeling game, screen the film. Be ready to gently guide students through making sense of the experience of parental conflict, both Jacob's, and their own.
Written and directed by Lauren Jackson, with a cast and crew of talented New Zealanders, 'I'm Going to Mum's' debuted in 2013 as a part of the annual International Film Festival. I first saw the film at the Lido Cinema in Hamilton with my mother (film festivals are a bonding experience for the two of us). I have since screened the award winning film in classes in a small South Waikato school, and a single-sex city school. Clothing is a motif in the film, which makes sense when you consider the amount of students we see issued with uniform passes for a hoodie because they left their school jersey at their mum's or dad's house.
To say the film has an emotional impact is an understatement. Students really seem to "get" the ideas Jackson portrays. There is a universality to the child's perspective utilised in the film, even if the students' home lives differ from that portrayed on screen. One particularly relatable gag from the film riffs on the idea that it almost seems to be a right of passage for all grandmothers to lovingly knit garish sweaters for their grandchildren, and that in the name of respecting your elders, we have all been forced to wear a crazy yarn garment we'd never choose for ourselves out in public. We all know the shame that comes with being teased for wearing something that is "weird" or "uncool". In many ways this film is lighthearted, using comedic relief to engage the viewer and sustain emotional investment in the outcome for the protagonist, Jacob, played by Duane Evans Junior.
For those learners who have experienced the tensions and difficulties of parents in conflict, it can hit a nerve, as it can for us teachers who've been there, too. The skillful way in which Jackson presents the family dynamic of only child Jacob (8 years old), and his two split parents (Anthony and Gwen) cuts to the heart of the issue: adult problems have immense capacity to harm young people. And our learners, while no longer children, are young people. On the off-chance that a student has no memories of ever witnessing conflict between their ever-loving parents, (or the more heartbreaking concept of never having met one of their parents) this film functions as a window into the experiences of so many of their peers. For the well-adjusted students from stable homes, where rapture is followed by repair more often than not, the film acts as an opportunity for these blessed teens to develop an awareness of the lived experiences of their peers, and to experience empathy for those that come from "broken" homes.
On the choice of subject matter, Jackson states, "This story was inspired by my own experiences of divorce plus those of my friends and acquaintances. I spoke to several parents sharing care of children and every single time, clothing came up as a day-to-day issue." This personal connection to the experience of confusion, fear and anger that a young person feels in the face of discord between their parents is woven throughout the film. It drips with emotion, from the actor's performance (particularly that of parents Gwen (Narelle Ahrens) and Anthony (Jarod Rawiri), the music (designed by Andrew McMillan) to the costume (designed by Estelle McDonald).
The film speaks for itself, and is free to view on nzonscreen.com, where there are myriad links to background information. It's a gold mine of a text for students to make text-to-world connections, and gives opportunities for learners to show personal insight given the poignancy of divorce in the lives of so many young New Zealanders. Tread with caution, though, as the film cuts deep, and even with the comic relief and wholesome "happy ending" it can bring that hurt from home into the classroom. I'm a firm believer in bringing emotional literacy into the English subject area, though, so if you're feeling game, screen the film. Be ready to gently guide students through making sense of the experience of parental conflict, both Jacob's, and their own.
