It is not uncommon, before a broadcast, to hear an anonymous voice announcing content that could shock. In the case of Mom, why are you crying?, a documentary written and directed by Patricia Beaulieu, Jessica Barker reads this notice herself in a hushed voice: “The following program contains sensitive content. It is about depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, psychosis, termination of pregnancy, miscarriage and attempted suicide. We prefer to let you know. »
“It was something very important to me, explains the host during a virtual press briefing held on Wednesday. I attend several feminist conferences in universities and I discovered these warnings there. It is 7 p.m., on a Wednesday, a woman sits down in front of the TV; she doesn’t necessarily know where we’re going and she may not want to relive those traumas. I wanted to prevent, in a spirit of benevolence and gentleness. On Twitter, many men often ridicule the trigger warnings, but I think it’s a good thing and you have to protect yourself. »
It was after her neighbor confided in her that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after giving birth that Jessica Barker wanted to look into perinatal mental health. She then turned to the one she calls her creative soul mate, Patricia Beaulieu (religious cults. Forgotten children), who knew how to breathe “poetry into suffering”.
“With Jessica, we wanted to shed a little light on the documentary,” says the director. We could have gone to the dark side, looking for testimonials from participants who did not have any help, saying how difficult it was for them to break the silence. We feel it in their words, but we thought we wanted more to equip the mother in the making or the one who is suffering. »
Dare to talk about it
As Jessica Barker reminds us in the documentary, according to studies done in Quebec, one in five women will experience mental health problems before or during pregnancy. Despite this, twenty years after the publication of Mom, why are you crying? (Odile Jacob), of the psychiatrist Jacques Dayan, we talk about it more or less to the main interested parties. For example, one hundred pages of the guide Living better with our child, bible for parents since 1977 which is updated from time to time, are devoted to breastfeeding and only one to depression.
“Things haven’t changed much and, at the moment, there is an escalation, notes Jessica Barker. We know how ubiquitous anxiety and depression are in society and we have a bit of a mirror with pregnant women or women who have just given birth. It is surprising that we have not evolved more and that there is little research on the subject. There is a lack of investment; mental health is the poor relation, as we know, and from the perspective of women’s health, we are in the same situation. »
“I still felt that there had been an evolution for 20 years, with the Grande Ourse project in Sainte-Justine, where we are interested in mothers, where we ask them questions, nuance Patricia Beaulieu. With Jessica, we don’t claim to know everything about this issue, but we wanted to make a kind of choir, a bouquet, of these mothers who have experienced totally different things, but who, when we look at them now, go when even good or better. So there is this hope that I found very important to depict. »
Bright and benevolent, Mom, why are you crying? benefits from the courageous testimonies of four mothers, including comedian Cathy Gauthier and author Émilie Choquet (A space between the hands, Boréal), and a son whose mother suffers from mental illness, host and producer Jean-Philippe Dion. With empathy, respect and complicity, Jessica Barker collects their secrets in a relaxed and warm atmosphere.
“We could have made a six-hour film! exclaims the host, recalling that Mom, why are you crying? will be broadcast on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Resources are limited and hard to find for moms, so let’s listen and be there for our neighbours. »
“If this documentary can just make the person who is at home and who feels less well pick up the phone, go get resources, talk to a neighbor, for me, it’s already a beautiful step forward”, concludes the director.