107 Mothers is a standout watch from my MIFF lineup this year – a Russian-language film written and directed by Peter Kerekes, with the story developed by screenwriter Ivan Ostrochovský.
Set inside the Odesa prison in Ukraine, we experience how motherhood looks for these imprisoned women, following protagonist Lesya who is allowed to keep her son for his first three years. We meet her before childbirth, and soon see how the prison system separates the children from their mothers, with structured time allowances for play and feeding; two daytime hours and two nighttime hours. At first the newborn is placed in a ward for two weeks while Lesya spends time in isolation, pumping milk to pour it down the sink, and listening to the wailing babies in the room over. By the child’s third birthday, she’ll need to be granted parole or else her son will go to a willing family member, or orphanage. For Lesya, who is not close with her mother or sister, must make parole if she wants to keep her son.
This film takes a slow and contemplative approach to its storytelling. As like many European films, its dialogue is pared back and poignant, dealing often in silences which are spattered with short remarks. Visually, its palette is blue and white; it’s clean and clinical. The children, when away from their mothers, spend time in a strange locker room space, aimlessly wandering from wall to wall, and making games out of a cupboard. We follow the mothers, whose friendships form makeshift family. In talking-head scenes, we hear them answer questions from a pleasant prison warden; questions typically about their crimes and parenthood, and what life will look like moving forwards. Many of these women have killed for love, or jealousy. Interestingly, we gaze also into the life of the prison warden herself, whose loneliness is poked at by her own mother, who condemns her for being unmarried and childless.
In its totality, the film is a beautiful portrait of motherhood, in its multiplicity. These women are pulled together through violence and jealousy and, in unconventional circumstances, foster love and tenderness. Based on the true stories of 107 imprisoned women, this film straddles the line between documentary and narrative, offering its audience a raw and compelling vision into the unorthodox lives of these mothers.
Madison Stephens
107 Mothers
Melbourne International Film Festival