the month
It is what it is
Comprised of works hand-picked by members of the Vidéographe team, video of the month explores Vidéographe's vast collection and offers insight into the team behind the centre. New month, new video.
Alexandra Boilard-Lefebvre is an author and cultural worker who has been active in the Montreal arts scene for nearly twelve years. She has collaborated on the production and creation of numerous projects in theater, cinema, and podcasting. She is the Executive Director of Vidéographe.
Synopsis
An intimate portrait of the relationship of the filmmaker and her mother, a resilient woman, endearing and striking in her vulnerability.
A word from the team
The filmmaker is in her mother’s apartment. She positions the camera next to an armchair and gets to work, tripod in hand. She sits down. We could almost believe that the recording was started accidentally, because the conversation between mother and daughter is so disarmingly honest. They say nothing, and therefore they say everything. In just a few lines and poignant silences, we piece together the contours of their relationship – or at least, what the filmmaker allows us to see of it. What makes it appear, at first glance, that the artist is filming without her knowing, is that the camera is aimed towards the large sliding doors, which are slightly open and reflect a partial image of the living room in which the two women sit. From left to right: a fragment of the armchair on which the filmmaker comes to sit after several seconds, a window striped with blinds, a coffee table on which several decorative objects have been placed, a folding table covered in knickknacks, books and magazines, and, hidden within this ordinary setting, the filmmaker’s mother, who we can just about discern. We understand all of the meaning that resides in this meticulous staging and all of the complexity for the daughter of filming her mother, of understanding her. Reminiscent of Chantal Akerman’s work, It is what it is is tender and sincere. A gesture of extreme modesty. A first short film that stays with you.
Alexandra Boilard-Lefebvre
Executive Director
