Presented in competition at the Locarno Film Festival, Solomamma [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Norwegian director Janicke Askevold invites us to reflect upon the concept of family in a more fluid and inclusive manner, setting aside stereotypes. What does it mean to be a single mother? How do you contend with the criticisms levelled by patriarchal society, which still condemns choices differing from the norm? Janicke Askevold boldly tackles these thorny questions in Solomamma, treating the audience to a touching and incisive portrait of a woman who’s decided to follow her own path without looking back. Whether on the subject of alternative parenthood, care or the search for an identity deviating from stereotypes, the Norwegian director’s second film allows us to dream of a different world where the concept of family no longer has anything to do with biology or blood ties, and everything to do with love and respect.

Edith is an investigative journalist and a single mother who’s learning, often at her own expense, what it really means to support a single parent family. Unsolicited, her friend Trine - who conceived her son with the same sperm donor as Edith - reveals this mysterious man’s true identity to her. Edith meets up with him on the pretext of interviewing him over his gaming activities, hoping to better understand her son and his little quirks. But the situation soon slides out of her control and, little by little, their meet-ups result in a bond which is anything but professional. Concerned but also intrigued, Edith seems trapped in a sea of lies which jeopardise her fragile day-to-day life. Faced with the failing health of her mother, on whom she’d been counting to help raise her son, our protagonist realises that nothing is as easy as it seems and that, ultimately, the strength she needs can be found inside of herself.

Solomamma explores lone parenting through the eyes of its protagonist, a woman who’s looking for answers to questions which become far bigger than she is over time and who’s brilliantly played by Lisa Loven Kongsli. Plagued by increasingly onerous responsibilities and a deep need to break free from the traditional social model to which she refuses to conform, Edith struggles to stay afloat. Solomamma follows the personal but also universal journey of this woman who simply wants to live her life as she feels best, following her desires over and above the rules.

The bond she shares with her son helps us to understand how our sense of belonging goes far beyond biology and how the concept of family should be interpreted more fluidly and inclusively. Edith shows us the road towards wider and more open family structures, a kind of tribe where respect and affection matter far more than adhering to norms created solely to maintain a patriarchal order which refuses all forms of competition.

Aesthetically elegant and austere (in the positive sense of the word) but also full of rejuvenating humour, Solomamma bravely explores what it means to fight in order to impose alternative choices and to stay true to our values, despite the comments and judgements of those who prefer to blindly follow the rules.

Solomamma was produced by Bacon Pictures Oslo and Bacon Pictures Copenhagen in co-production with Mistrus Media, Dansu and It's Alive Films. Playtime are managing world sales.