What truly makes a woman a mother. Is it biology? Love? Choice? A sacrifice? Bali cinema fans explore the answer with Minikino Film Week 11 (MFW11). It invited you to reflect on this deeply personal question through its short film program, Mother. 5 striking stories were chosen to show the complexities of motherhood, challenge social norms, and reveal the invisible battles women fight. Through Mother!, we’re invited to witness different perspectives, each one redefining what it means to carry, embrace, or even reject the label of “mother.” Bali cinema just got deep.
When Motherhood Is Not a Choice
For much of history, society has dictated who gets to be called a mother. Two powerful short films—Bitter Chocolate (dir. Sahar Sotoodeh, Iran & Germany, 2024) and Shadows (dir. Rand Beiruty, France & Jordan, 2024)—shine a light on young girls confronting this reality. In Bitter Chocolate, Yasi, a teenage girl, travels from her hometown to the capital under the guise of taking an IELTS exam. But her true purpose is far more urgent. She is seeking an illegal abortion. In the excruciating silence of the waiting room, she witnesses three generations of women: a doctor, a grandmother, and a little girl—offering her a glimpse of different paths her life could take. Her eventual choice frees her, but she also carries the weight she will never be able to release.
Meanwhile, Shadows gives voice to Ahlam, a girl married off at 13 and soon after called a “mother.” The horrors of being a child bride is told directly by the voice of Ahlam, with soft colored drawn animation that morphs between reality and trauma, the present and the past. Just after Ahlam was plucked away from her childhood, she bears the title of “mother” to her son. Adding to trauma, her mother-in-law takes her baby away, still seeing her as a child. Ahlam wrestles with why the same society that deems her old enough to wed, tells her she is too young to be a mother.
Choosing Motherhood, Every Day
Not all stories about motherhood are marked by pain. In Passarinho (dir. Natalia García Agra, Mexico, 2024), we meet Carmen, a lively mother determined to make her teenage daughter’s dream come true. Braving chaotic traffic, unexpected delays, and a surprise first period, Carmen does everything she can to get her daughter to meet her favorite soccer player.
The film sparkles with humor and heart, capturing the chaos of everyday motherhood—the negotiations, the sacrifices, and above all, the fierce, unconditional love. Carmen reminds us that being a mother is a choice made over and over again, every single day. This lighter exploration of modern motherhood continues in Can You Hear Me? (dir. Anastazja Naumenko, Poland, 2025), where Nastia teaches her mom how to use Zoom over a hilariously glitchy video call. Through a playful, colorful animation, their exchange signifies vulnerability. It’s a tender reminder that mothers and daughters are constantly learning from each other, even when separated by generations, cultures, and screens.
When Motherhood Hurts
Then there is La Perra (dir. Carla Melo Gampert, France & Colombia, 2023), a haunting, surreal animated short about inherited pain. Two generations of women depicted with human bodies and bird heads, navigate their desires, experiencing horrors society curses generations of women with. Growing up, daughters look up to imperfect and wounded mothers, and as they grow up, they become their mothers, also wounded. Through surrealist watercolor animation, La Perra (2023) paints images of the mother wound—the state of emotional pain coming from a dysfunctional relationship with a mother figure.
This exploration of generational trauma runs deep. To unpack the emotional resonance of La Perra, we spoke with Family Constellation therapist Deepika Mulchandani, who shared insights into how trauma echoes through generations. The reminder is powerful – some of our darkest struggles are not ours to carry. The animation of La Perra (2023)—also nominated for Best Animated Short at MFW11—haunts and clings like trauma. Inspired by the filmmaker’s life, the film highlights how women grow to either be mothers or sluts (“perras” in Spanish), both labels with a deal of servitude to a society that serves men. For many women growing old entails doing things you do not want, facing treatments you do not deserve, rooting deeper and deeper in an identity you did not choose.
Redefining “Mother” through these five powerful shorts, Mother! opens space for us to reflect on the politics of choice—how women’s paths are shaped by the invisible weight of societal norms and generational trauma. And to do this at Bali cinema festival somehow feels special.
Are we mothers because we choose to be? Because we are expected to be? Or because we are told we already are?
Bali Cinema at its best:
📅 12–19 September 2025
📍 Bali, Indonesia
🌐 https://minikino.org/filmweek/
What’s Next: To Mum or Not to Mum? As the films spark dialogue, Modern Women Bali are taking that conversation even further with “To Mum or Not to Mum”—a bold, honest, and at times hilarious Battle Royale of reflections on modern motherhood. Read or submit your motherhood story here.
About the writer: Natania Marcella is a writer and member of Minikino’s Education Team, passionate about short film education and film criticism, with the belief that community and diversity are the heart of creativity. Bali cinema fans, get in touch with Natania here: nia@minikino.org
