In Estonian-Ukrainian Series ‘My Dear Mother,’ Love Is a Crime: ‘It Will Leave You Breathless’

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Berlinale Series Market Selects pick “My Dear Mother” might start with a brutal murder, but it’s not really about the crime, “It’s a unique love story,” says writer Raoul Suvi. “Maybe not easily understandable, but it’s based on a fight against injustice that nobody sees or cares about, and on the sense that the main character deserves love and a much better life.” In the Estonian-Ukrainian six-episode show, produced by Zolba Productions in collaboration with Ukraine’s Film.UA Group, the audience is put in the role of a judge and a journalist – both trying to understand what happened in the life of a girl accused of killing her own mother. “As the story develops, they realize that the institutions, including her own family, haven’t fulfilled their main principles and goals,” reveals Suvi. “[I wanted] to create a narrative which is not documenting a single case but creates a nuanced picture of the kind of reality that exists right next to us, and most of us don’t even notice it.

Fortunately, we had good consultants: Külli-Riin Tigasson, a journalist who wrote a story that triggered our own investigation, and Andres Anvelt, who’s had a long career in law enforcement.” Director Doris Tääker felt it was necessary to show violence on screen, however, to understand the situation of a young woman who becomes a fentanyl addict and a prostitute. “Showing brutal violence raises questions: What is its purpose?

Will the audience continue watching? We chose to go with a very realistic style and show violent scenes from the perspective of the main character, who’s the victim.