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A mother-son relationship is usually glorified and idealised across cultures. Anne-Sophie Bailly’s French film, Mon Inseparable (English title, My Everything) showcases a distinct, complex side of the bond, complete with its several inherent contradictions and ambiguities.
The film, which premiered recently in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the Venice Film Festival, is centred on a middle-aged Parisian single mother Mona (Laure Calamy) who has been looking after her grown up, differently abled son Joel (Charles Peccia Galletto), all by herself, ever since his birth. The “slow” Joel falls in love with his coworker in the special facility, Oceane (Jolie Froger), who is also differently abled. Life throws a major challenge at all of them when Oceane gets pregnant.
Sophie Bailly looks at several aspects of this tricky situation—its practical, human and ethical dimensions, and its repercussions on the individuals involved, their relationships and families. Her probe might lack depth and complexity and could feel cursory to some but is nonetheless teeming with a deep sense of empathy.
On the one hand is Mona, who had kept her own life on hold for a long while for the sake of Joel. Just when she had begun to unshackle herself from the chain of responsibilities, with a new relationship beginning to blossom, she is confronted with the necessity to put herself on the backseat yet again. It’s triggered by the overwhelming worry about whether Joel and Oceane will manage to take responsibility for and be able to take care of another life when they need constant monitoring and help themselves.
On the other hand, for Joel and Oceane, it’s all about claiming ownership of their own bodies, desires and assertion of their basic instinct and fundamental right to be together and have a family of their own. Why should the rest of the world decide things for them just because they are not like everyone else? Along with all these ideas is the unspoken concern about the health and well-being of their progeny. Will it make life more difficult for them and the rest? Or will it get better with the ringing of hope, renewal and happiness? Who is to say and predict what lies ahead?
