Unfinished

Is the spectrum that stretches from normality to abnormality in fact a Möbius strip, turned in on itself, whose sides merge until they become inverted?

In this dual-voice film, the mother's and daughter's questions become entangled and superimposed, exploring the insoluble question of mental "health" and the origins of psychological dysfunction. How can we define such a relative state? At what point does a person tip over to the forbidden side, the side that calls for intervention and, sometimes, confinement? Can we sense when things are getting out of hand, when it's best to leave things in the hands of outsiders, to pharmacopoeial potions, to painkillers that prevent things from going too far? And above all, do we ever manage to heal?

The impossibility of soberly identifying what corresponds to the desired state precludes any magic formula for psychiatric treatment. One thing is certain, however, and this transcends historical and cultural particularities: there are times when suffering is intolerable. Psychiatry must serve to alleviate this suffering. It has to be said, however, that it is still a remarkably long way off the mark when it comes to a number of issues. Is it time to look elsewhere? In what the patients' symptoms express?

Through this cinematic process, a mother/cinematographer is at least trying to find some meaning. She collects clues and untangles the thread of suffering. The story becomes more complex when two pairs of eyes look at each other. Ishaa asserts her place and her experience. From now on, we must "let Ishaa help Ishaa".

Naomie Décarie-Daigneault
Tënk's Artistic Director