Sons and Mothers (ATOM Study Guide)

Sons and Mothers (2013) is an intimate portrait of a group of marginalised men in Adelaide. Led by Alirio Zavarce, a Venezuelan-born actor and theatre director, they create a theatrical love letter to the most important woman in their lives – their mother.

Within the sanctuary of No Strings Attached (NSA), a company that creates groundbreaking theatre by disabled artists and performers, Alirio invites members of the Men's Ensemble – Ricki, Ryan, Damien, Duncan, Abner, Kym and Ben – to expose their innermost secrets.

What unfolds is a poignant and intimate portrait of seven surprising individuals who willingly 'tell all' with honesty, grace and a healthy dose of irreverence. As they offer their hearts for the sake of a theatre show, complications set in and raise concerns about who will make it to opening night.

Sons and Mothers is a cinéma-vérité documentary of great intimacy that focuses audiences to leave their view of disability at the door and instead experience an insider's perspective of what it is like simply to be human.

Curriculum links
Sons and Mothers may be used in relation to studies of Drama, Health and Physical Education, Civics and Citizenship, English, and Media and Film Studies.