If you do this, I will call you by your first name instead of Mom

Directed by Rosaliina Paavilainen

This experimental documentary delves into the director’s own mother-daughter relationship, featuring real-life dialogues between the director and her mother. The narrative unfolds through static, color-framed images of the mother’s empty apartment, capturing a sense of absence and reflection. These intimate conversations reveal layers of shame, resentment, and longing shaped by alcoholism and custody, creating a raw and deeply personal portrait of difficult love. Created as a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduation project, the work was exhibited in the Young Artists 2019 exhibition at Kunsthalle Helsinki.