How ‘My Mother, the Monster’ Was Inspired by a Photo of a Woman Walking in a Forest Wearing a Scary Mask
variety.comTara Karajica The idea for “My Mother, the Monster,” which won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Co-Production Market Thursday, came to Hungarian director Olivér Rudolf three years ago after seeing a picture of a woman walking in a dark forest in the middle of the night and wearing a scary monster mask. “There was a tension between this harsh mask and the vulnerability of the person wearing it, so I wanted to find out who was behind that mask and examine more the mother [underneath it],” he says.
Rudolf’s debut feature comes on the heels of his graduation film “Fonica M-120,” which played in Cannes’ Cinéfondation in 2020.
It tells the story of Éva, a mother in her forties who, disappointed with her life and tired of her own insignificance, finds a new identity behind a scary monster mask that eventually liberates her.
Besides looking into the age-old subject of motherhood, Rudolf also wishes to touch on the topic of the queer and drag queen communities in Hungary.
Read more on variety.com