How far would you go to stay in contact with your child?
“SON,” the short documentary above, is about graffiti tags and homelessness and a mother’s instinct to hope against hope. It follows a woman resorting to graffiti — vandalism, as some would have it — in a last-ditch effort to make contact with her son.
But this unusual story is built of elements we can all recognize. Parental guilt. Fear for a loved one’s safety. And an almost defiant motherly pride.
In making this film, I kept the participants anonymous to protect their privacy. But I hope that anonymity also invites viewers to find something that resonates in the story of this mother and her son, and their longing to connect.
Leona Cauklija is an artist and filmmaker based in Stockholm.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: [email protected].
Op-Docs is a forum for short, opinionated documentaries by independent filmmakers. Learn more about Op-Docs and how to submit to the series.
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.
The post She Writes ‘Son’ Across the City. How Does He Respond? appeared first on New York Times.
