_{Ma Mère et Moi by Emma Branderhorst}

The relationship between late adolescent Kees and her mum is close and loving. But it is also scratchy and argumentative, especially as a separation is imminent, that of Kees’ departure to study French in Marseilles, where she can build a new life away from her mum. The thing is, the pair are going there by car, which is a long journey. And when they arrive, mother takes an awfully long time to leave…

Ma Mère et Moi may be a short but it is lengthy enough to explore the complexities of a relationship that is in equal part loving, spiky and frustrating. Mother and daughter laugh a lot, but they regularly irritate each other, not least when Kees fills the car with diesel instead of lead-free, or when Mother decides that the dreamy rug they see in a French market en route would better suit the house back in The Netherlands rather than Kees’ new student room in Marseilles. But separation is inevitable, and when it arrives it is bittersweet. There may be a sense of grieving, but there is no death and the pain they suffer is ultimately bearable.

“I wanted to tell of this symbiotic relationship between a mother and daughter,” says Branderhorst. “But I also wanted to tell the story of Kees, breaking away from this relationship and choosing her own path. I think that was the most important part for me. And I thought it was the best if they are really dependent on each other, because then the break-up, or the letting each other go, seems even more painful.”

There is a strong autobiographical undertow to the film, although Branderhorst applied creative licence in drawing her characters, she says. The mother in Ma Mère et Moi is ebullient (albeit potentially embarrassingly as she leads the dancing at a welcome dinner in Marseilles) and she is outgoing. Branderhorst’s own mum was less gregarious but nevertheless always wanted to be part of her daughter’s life, and that sense of maternal dependence is enlarged upon in the film, made “bigger,” as the director stresses.

“I really wanted to break free from her because we are very different. I’m extremely adventurous and I really wanna break out. And she loves to stay home and she's not very adventurous. And I was like, ‘mom, go out and just do your thing. You're so young and beautiful, and why are you always like so afraid of the world?’”

The film was made for €64,000, the majority of which came from a Netherlands Film Fund Wild Card award (which Emma won with her graduation film Under the Skin), and is imbued with a rich and textured aesthetic which derives from the abundance of Mediterranean light and Branderhorst’s deployment of vintage 16mm analogue lenses. “Everything was just gorgeous to look at, the sun and the sea and the blue water and the white buildings. You immediately have the feeling that you are in a different world. And that for me was just incredible to see and to explore.” This sense of transformation is emphasised by Kees’ spontaneous and joyous cry of “I live here,” as she stands bathed in the rich, warm sunlight.

Branderhorst underlines how the characters she portrays in her films age in parallel with her development as a director, and how she looks to create characters just a little bit younger than herself.

What’s more, she is also becoming more and more interesting to investors, especially after three Berlinale selections. She is internationally oriented and does commercials both in the UK and the US. That said, when it comes to her debut feature, she wants to stay very much at home. “I wanna make a Dutch feature because I think it's just important to get to know the drill,” she says.

Her first feature, which she will shoot in 2024 or 2025, will again be informed by her relationship with her mum and childhood experiences. “It’s important for me it has a social theme, and tells a story about a young woman choosing her own path,” Branderhorst explains. “It's super important that my feature debut is a personal film. I can only make my feature debut once, and so it has to be fucking good.”

Ma Mère et Moi is produced by BIND. Festival distribution is handled by Kapitein Kort.
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