Mama's Watching

Dustin Murphy

Director(s): Dustin Curtis Murphy

On her first business trip away after the birth of her child, a young mother has to fend off the unwanted advances of her boss, triggering a traumatic childhood event involving a monstrous figure called Mama.

Directed by Dustin Curtis Murphy
Written by Rose Muirhead
Produced by Alasdair C. Melrose
 

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

I’ve always been fascinated by repressed memories. It’s terrifying to think that something could have happened to you that you have no idea ever happened. 

 

Our film's protagonist is haunted by a mysterious memory from a traumatic childhood event - the death of her uncle. As a girl she was convinced that a monster had killed him, and even now as an adult she can’t shake the image of the monster’s face even though intellectually she knows that monsters aren’t real. She can see pieces of the puzzle, but never the full picture… that is, until she experiences another traumatic event. Suddenly, her repressed memories flood to the forefront of her consciousness and unlock the mystery of her past.

 

On the surface, Mama’s Watching is a terrifying thriller with fantastical elements, but the true core of this piece is its psychological depth. Mama’s Watching is a true effort of collaboration. It was a delight to workshop the script with screenwriter/actress Rose Muirhead and producer Alasdair C. Melrose. It was a consistent goal of ours to bring more levels of depth and nuance with every draft vs succumbing to tropes and stereotypes. Our aim was to contribute with brutal honesty to the wider ongoing conversation about consent and sexual assault/abuse. With Mama’s Watching our aim is to pose two questions to audiences: 1. What are the lingering effects of trauma? And 2. What happens after trauma?