Why we picked it– A unique film shot over 20 years that shows that epic journeys can take place at home.
Synopsis – Victoria Mapplebeck found herself single, pregnant and broke at 38. She is a filmmaker so she turned the camera on herself. The film charts two decades of her and her son Jim: from his first scan to his first day at college, a quirky, funny, articulate kid who becomes a creative and likeable young adult. There is a dual focus on fatherless child and parent who is prompted to examine her tricky relationship with her largely absent father. An extended home movie that documents everyday but also trauma as Victoria navigates her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment when Jim was just 13.
The film– Victoria Mapplebeck is a BAFA winning director and lecturer who has worked in film, video, VR, user-generated content. The film is drawn from hundreds of hours of footage, shot almost daily, initially with an old DVCAM to five generations of smartphones. The film was shot on small cameras in small spaces, but it explores big themes. There is something deeply affecting about watching a child take shape over time, as demonstrated by the impact of the Seven Up television series. An unsentimental portrait of a mother-son relationship.
Director, Writer and Cinematographer – Victoria Mapplebeck UK 2024