Mamadrama

An Australian documentary examining the portrayal of Jewish mothers on the big screen. From an early age filmmaker Monique Schwarz was puzzled by the discrepancy between the domineering and emasculating Jewish mothers typically represented on film, and her own mother, a Holocaust survivor. “Mamadrama” consequently has a strong personal touch, via the reflections of Schwarz and interviews with directors Paul Mazursky, Paul Bogart, and Larry Peerce, and actress Lainie Kazan. In addition to well-known Hollywood movies “Mamadrama” uses rare footage from early silent films, Yiddish language features and Israeli films. The tone of the documentary is reflective rather than critical; the most intriguing moments emerge from the candour with which the interviewees discuss their own mothers.