Don't Cry, Mona Lisa
(2023)

During a recent train ride in China, a conversation between a young couple sitting in front of me inspired me to create "Don't Cry, Mona Lisa."

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At first, the husband holds their baby, speaking to the infant and telling him they are "best friends" and that the mother is their "enemy." After less than ten minutes of monologue directed at his newborn son, the man tosses the child to his wife. In an impatient tone, the man commands his wife: "Take him; I'm exhausted," then proceeds to nap. This made me reflect upon the inherent injustices surrounding motherhood.

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In my short film, I examine gender inequalities through the lens of motherhood. Society deems a woman "a mother" the moment when she, often surprisingly, discovers that she is pregnant and decides to keep it. She has no choice but to accept the obligations that society implants onto a mother. Like Virgin Mary, she is the flawless, perfect woman who must take care of the baby and never experience anger or any other negative emotions. She forever smiles: like Virgin Mary, like Mona Lisa.