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By John DeFore
| Thursday, March 12, 2009, 12:24 PM
Filmmaker Jennifer Steinman creates her own documentary subject by gathering a half-dozen women grieving over lost children and sending them to South Africa for more than two weeks, where they are to volunteer at day care centers and clinics in communities devastated by HIV/AIDS.
Those inclined to see this mission as solipsistic may not be won over, since even when surrounded by scores of needy children the women spend most of their onscreen time discussing their own emotional states and need for healing. More sympathetic viewers will appreciate moments in which the mothers’ and locals’ needs overlap, as in a grief workshop where the Americans speak empathetically with kids whose parents have died.
Despite a contrived reality-show vibe that even the subjects point out,
“Motherland” has something to offer those considering volunteerism in the wake of personal tragedy — even if it’s just an opportunity to ask deeper questions about whose interests are being served.
Screenings: 11 a.m. Sunday, Alamo South; 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Alamo South
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