Stories of addiction within complicated family dynamics are often difficult but necessary watches. With so many people suffering from substance abuse in silence, seeing these stories reflected on screen offers a greater sense of understanding. The short film Little Mother Lies, directed by Amanda Deering Jones and written by Kitty Edwinson, acts as a beacon of light for those who find themselves struggling with dark times.

Facing Your Demons Amidst Family Dysfunction

Little Mother Lies is a micro-indie that features three actors. Dorie (Pascale Roger-McKeever) and Marinka (Emilie Talbot) are sisters and third-generation descendants of exiled Russian aristocrats. The women sit around a dining room table, clearly engaging in somewhat uncomfortable dialogue. As they converse over bowls of borscht, a signature Ukrainian soup. Dorie’s son Owen (Elliott Thomas West) is in the middle of violent withdrawals. His isolation from the family hurts Dorie tremendously, and nothing Marinka says or does is of any help. Eventually, it’s discovered that Marinka may be more of an enabler than a dependable resource for support.

The 14-minute short is based on the filmmakers’ conceptual feature film Mother Lies, a full rendition of this family’s story. Amanda Deering Jones plays with the themes of heritage and societal hardship with equally dramatic stakes. The tension between the sisters hits its peak when Dorie realizes that, despite Marinka being family, she may not be capable of maintaining their relationship during this difficult time with her son.

Director’s Statement

Says Jones, “As we connect with these characters and their guards come down, we become aware of some deeply held assumptions about the origins of substance abuse and our current approaches to treatment. We see the consequences of the one-size-fits-all system through the suffering of this family. They elicit our compassion and help us realize that inflexibility has no place in a system that so often fails the people who depend on it.”

Takeaway

A mother’s commitment to her children never expires, and Little Mother Lies is proof of this unconditional love. Little Mother Lies will have its World Premiere at the 2025 Soho International Film Festival.