The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways of our world and our lifestyles since the start of 2020. It has brought on a lot of anxiety having to isolate and socially distance with loved ones to try to fight the ongoing virus. Unfortunately, a fifth wave has arrived with the new Omicron variant toward the end of 2021, marking the feelings that 2022 is really just “2020 two”. The film ‘Night, Mother’ is directed by John Patrick Lowrie’ that is set during the COVID-19 pandemic and is featured at the Toronto International Film Festival of Cift. Zoom calls became the de facto online tool for meetings and connecting with loved ones through video chat. In this film, the Zoom conversation takes a dark turn, where the daughter Jessie (Sheila Houlahan) informs her mother Thelma (Ellen McLain) that she will be committing suicide within the hour.
‘Night, Mother’ may sound familiar as this film is based on Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. The film uses this premise and ties it to the themes of COVID-19 and the current state of mental health. The conversation between Jessie and Thelma was actually premiered on the live-stream platform Twitch as an innovative way to show the ever-present effects of isolation, trauma, and suicide through a live play. Twitch is generally known as a streaming platform for gamers, and was able to somehow take the risk to use this platform to showcase a non-gaming event along with the themes of suicide, which could have potentially led to a ban for promoting the sensitive topic.
In the film and television industry, the pandemic has changed the ways on how filmmakers and actors work together in a production given that many of the production studios were shut down. Many had to either halt production, or pivot to continue filmmaking and new and innovative ways. Perhaps Twitch saw this as an opportunity to expand their platform to non-gamers given the circumstances leading to more demand for live streaming outside of gaming.
For those who have heard or seen the original play, it should be noted that viewer discretion is advised as these topics can be triggering to some audiences. The film is all conversation between a mother and daughter that could be relatable in so many unfortunate ways for those that are in similar situations. The idea of struggling on how to relate to a parent and trying to find some resolve of what is wrong never seems to get answered and only exacerbates the situation hurting the relationship between the mother and daughter even more.
The long conversations may seem innocent at first, where they get an opportunity to connect with virtual calls, which can be seen as a positive. However, if the conversation goes haywire, anyone can just cut the call by hanging up, shutting, down, muting the other person, or in this case, shoot themselves to make a point that the other person cannot stop the other person from doing what they are going to do. It is a scary thought knowing that an intervention in an intense situation blocked behind a wall of a computer screen that demonstrates how distressful it can be when an uncomfortable situation arises in a virtual chat.
This film demonstrates the need for online safety of the use of Zoom chats, especially during these tough times. It brings awareness to how one’s mental health state is negatively affected and how online chats should be handled with care without triggering the other person. It is very similar to the idea of social media where the responsibility is on the person who is scrolling through pages and pages of photos and comments to understand how to handle any triggering responses from reading online material.
For those who want to watch this film, just remember to keep an open mind about this topic, and stop watching if you find it triggering. This film is definitely not for everybody, but it is an innovative step towards having to highlight what the world has become and opens up discussion on how to address online safety through live-streaming and Zoom chats that go haywire like this story. Overall, innovation in filmmaking is always welcome, and John Patrick Lowrie picked a powerful play to help drive the story with current times.
by: Trevor Brooks