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Death is a part of life, but the loss of a parent is heartbreaking in a unique way. The absence of your maker is a sad reminder of your own mortality. Grief like this can make you feel outside yourself, questioning your very identity. This Is a Film About My Mother is an incredibly powerful and moving story that speaks to the souls of anyone who has lost a parent. Tess Harrison’s powerful directorial is an emotional rollercoaster about the heartwrenching journey of siblings who are grieving the loss of their mother. The siblings struggle to communicate about their pain, trying instead to find the strength to carry on with their lives. She also stars in the film alongside her real-life brother Will Harrison.
Following the release of her film in 2022, Tess Harrison recently gave her first interview via local media outlets as she prepares for the upcoming film screening in Los Angeles on —- She performed the three official roles of writer, director, and actor while unofficially looking after all the filmmaking departments. This Is a Film About My Mother is very personal to Tess, who has firsthand witnessed a difficult time where the clouds of uncertainty loomed. The film is distributed by Porter + Craig Film and Media.
It is a universal story about a mother’s death which leaves her two children in the dizzy, debilitating throws of grief. Tess plays the elder sibling Eve, who reaches out to her brother Max, played by her real-life brother Will, to ask for his help with a documentary film about their mother. She disguises her need for comfort from him as a request. A year after their loss, the two siblings reconnect and are forced to overcome the psychological phases of denial, bargaining, and anger to finally accept what they had no control over with some humor and grace. Will they survive or succumb to the sorrow? Watch the film trailer at This Is a Film About My Mother-Trailer.
The actress, writer, and director had been in talks with her brother about co-starring in a movie about growing up when they learned about their mother’s illness. What she went through in the process influenced the film’s theme of grief. ‘What started as grief for the loss of ones own childhood, became grief for the loss of a parent. The themes nested neatly together. The pandemic was a creative pressure cooker for me; my friend, also the creative producer Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and I were talking about what was possible during the pandemic, and decided the story might be stronger with just two characters,’ shared Tess when asked about how she managed through the COVID-19 crisis when most of the independent films were shelved due to financial losses.
Tess has previously been part of Are You Glad I’m Here and the short film Happy Vacation. As an emerging talent in the indie space, she is particularly interested in creating transformative pieces of work. She believes in the power of the camera to bring attention to issues and themes, ‘I try to use the camera with reverence when I tell stories,’ like This Is a Film About My Mother that talk about the resilience of the human spirit. Through the lens of optimism and hope, the film sheds light on life’s darkest moments. The film also stars female filmmaking Joyce Chopra and was produced by Frankie Wagner.
‘It takes a lot of bravery to commit to making a feature film, to say ‘this is the one I am going to make, with no money and no help,’ it’s scary!’ added Tess while advising on the dos and don’ts of independent filmmaking. She follows the motto that fortune favors the brave; she chose courage over second thoughts. ‘I was lucky to have a support system of friends and colleagues who championed the project in its nascent stages so that I could see it through to the end,’ she concluded.
Tess is currently working on her next project, The French Movie, while the other is still in the writing phase. Tessa Harrison’s bold, unapologetic, and inclusive approach to filmmaking has truly drawn the attention of many; she is among the top filmmakers to watch out for in 2023.
For more details and information, please head over to Tess Harrison. Connect with her on Instagram for candid interactions and the latest updates on her new projects.
Stream on VUDU
https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/This-is-aFilm-about-my-Mother/2297932
Stream on Spectrum
https://ondemand.spectrum.net/movies/24534586/this-is-a-film-about-my-mother/
