Abandoned by her mother as a child, Jamaican-American poet and activist Staceyann Chin sets out on a quest for radical forgiveness—to heal herself and forge a better future for her daughter.
How do you raise a child when your own mother left you behind? Best known for the spoken word series Def Poetry Jam and her acclaimed solo show MotherStruck!, Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin embarks on a winding, emotionally raw journey to find the woman who disappeared from her life. From Brooklyn to Montreal, from Cologne to Kingston, she confronts buried pain, seeks elusive answers and ultimately embraces the radical act of forgiveness. Alongside her daughter, she redefines home, healing, and the very meaning of motherhood. A Mother Apart is a powerful testament to resilience, reconciliation, and the courage to break cycles of neglect.
A Mother Apart, Laurie Townshend, provided by the National Film Board of Canada