Director's Vision & Intentions
As a director I am responsible for the performances of the actors I choose to work with. The relationship between actor and director is fundamental; a strong dynamic will give any film the authenticity that enables an audience to suspend disbelief. Sometimes nuances can be created in a performance that is absent from the script itself, and these moments can be exhilarating.

As my budgets have gradually increased over the years, so has the financial pressure, and often schedules, technical execution and a large, unwieldy production process can affect the precious relationship with the performers. So In response to these concerns, I conceived of a project built entirely on an extended dialogue with actors. To me, Mothers&Daughters is an affirmation that the values of actor driven and artistically progressive work can still be a viable part of our film industry especially in the digital age.

I assembled a cast of six respected Canadian actors and spent four months in workshops shaping an improvisational feature narrative based on one simple premise: the intriguing relationship between a mother and her daughter.

We worked extensively on our concept together throughout the winter. Script-less, we created a basic blueprint from the workshops that enabled us to break the film down into a conventional format for production. We shot entirely on location, with a crew so small and unobtrusive that quite often we were able to interact with real life as it moved through streets, stores and buildings—the entire world of our movie. Whenever possible, we made use of natural light, available props, live traffic and real passers-by so that every scene had the truth and authenticity of a documentary.

Production was unhindered by the unwieldiness of the typical dramatic feature film infrastructure. We used tape-free hand-held high definition camcorders that worked well in low light, enabling us to work quickly in improvised settings. Blessed with the mobility usually reserved for documentary, we captured our narrative in a direct cinema aesthetic.

This approach gave the actors a spontaneity that is often missing in conventional dramatic film projects. Documentary style, in-character interviews punctuate the narrative action, shaping a reflexive spine that draws each character into thoughtful analysis and self-awareness.

With cinematic technology changing at a radical pace, it is important for filmmakers to take chances and explore how these shifts can inform our creative and narrative choices. In Mothers&Daughters, I was able to explore narrative drama in a collaborative, inventive and simple way that was extremely liberating.