An amazing mother-daughter conversation

He Non-fiction Tuesday's was a preliminary to The Marathon This weekend. The documentary, MotherThe documentary features Gemma Guzmán, a woman diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago who subsequently developed brain metastases. We see her undergoing chemotherapy sessions to manage the disease. The generosity of the protagonist and her family is essential to the film, but simply being in front of the camera and talking about her situation seems to have a positive effect on her emotional well-being. The production is very modest, and the script opts for a very direct and intuitive approach, with a somewhat static narrative development. Despite these formal limitations, however, there is a very moving and exceptionally powerful sequence.

At bedtime, Gemma accompanies her teenage daughter to bed, and they have a quiet conversation in her room. They recall, with a sense of humor, that a few years ago Gemma said she would live to be 102. "Don't make me live to 102 with chemo, okay…" her mother replies. But she appreciates how well they are both emerging from this ordeal and how brave they have been. "You have, I haven't..." the girl replies. And Gema points out that she has also been very brave: "Look, they told you twice that your mother could die." And she reminds her that, in the midst of all this, her grandfather also died, both grandmothers were also diagnosed with cancer, and one of them also died. "I think we have dealt with death very well, you and I; we talked a lot," Gemma insists. Her daughter listens calmly, agrees, and looks thoughtful.

It is a very emotionally powerful scene. And it is obviously the result of what the protagonist says: having talked a lot beforehand and learning to live naturally with a reality that is not easy, especially for a fifteen-year-old girl. Furthermore, the conversation incorporates a very everyday and amusing negotiation between the two, because the daughter wants to go out a few nights to the local festivals in the surrounding towns, and Gemma isn't at all sure she should go.

The scene breaks down the taboo surrounding death. Mother and daughter talk about it without euphemisms and in a domestic context. There is no contrived drama or added artifice. They are completely unnecessary. In itself, it is an incredibly powerful moment. We see how Gemma tries to alleviate the silent emotional burden that teenagers often carry in complex family situations. We witness how the mother puts into practice a certain pedagogy of mortality, but she does so from the us And with spontaneity. They recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses and embrace the uncertainties. Gema activates the mechanisms for adapting to a reality that, at times, you can't choose. We, the viewers, witness the building of an emotional legacy: the passing on of tools so that the daughter can better face her future. It was exceptional.