Mother May I?, 2021

"With the current social climate of our society becoming so polarizing, I've looked at the struggles I have faced in my own family and considered how they may affect future generations. How do we handle seeing two sides to those that we love? In this story, I'm interested in exploring the themes of duality, denial of guilt, and how repressed trauma can manifest itself and spill over into our children's lives for them to be forced to ultimately resolve. Edgar is an eight-year-old boy who lives with his mother Jane. One day, she discovers their back door open but does not realize that her estranged twin, Abigail, has snuck into their house. From that point on, Edgar would have various interactions with "Jane", some good, some bad. Edgar would see someone lurking in the house at night, but Jane doesn't believe him. Edgar's goal becomes to show his mother that they are not alone and reveal Abigail is hiding in their house. This current idea stems from my generation's attempts to help our parents realize that problems in our society actually exist. That racism, police brutality, injustice, and mental illness are real when they simply have accepted them as part of their lives, not recognizing they need to confront these notions. " -- Abstract