My Mom Vala
2018 · 10m · Greenland
Directed by RC Cone
Genres: coming-of-age, documentary, family
Tones: contemplative, tender
A young girl narrates life with her mother Vala, who splits her time between a remote Greenland fishing lodge and raising her daughter in Reykjavík.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
It's a tender family doc, which is exactly the kind of thing that usually puts me to sleep—but Cone refuses the sentimental trap by letting the geography do the emotional heavy lifting, splitting a mother and daughter across an ocean like it's the most natural thing in the world.
A formally restrained portrait that situates itself squarely in the observational documentary lineage, with the restraint to let silence and distance carry weight rather than narration explaining what we already feel.
That narration choice—a daughter's voice matter-of-factly describing a life split between two worlds—turns what could be melodrama into something austere and true; it's the single decision that makes the whole thing breathe.
Reviews
Throughout the short film, you can hear Matilda's mother, Vala, showing her daughter how to live life independently and to follow your passions. It was an amazing short film, which I highly recommend.