Earth Mama tells the tale of Gia (Tia Nomore), a single mother who has lost her two children Trey (Ca’Ron Coleman) and Shaynah (Alexis Rivas) to foster care amidst her drug addiction and struggle with poverty. Gia seeks to get her life back on track with the help of her social worker Miss Carmen (Erika Alexander) and eventually her children as well. But as she navigates a tough life, she’ll learn things aren’t so easy.
What Earth Mama does well is depict generational cycles of trauma that are passed down throughout families not just through Gia’s life, but throughout the film’s entirety. Past experiences leading to present day turmoil is best encapsulated by a group therapy scene Gia attends where fellow troubled women speak about their experiences growing up under hardship and how it led them down a path toward repeating their childhood experiences and ultimately self-destruction. Earth Mama is defined by its authenticity and unflinching realness, a genuineness that makes for a very real film with characters that feel very real, meaning they come across as genuinely human, with flaws and all. When we see Gia on a supervised visit with her son and daughter, her daughter cold in her reception of her mother, we feel for her in her struggle to regain custody of her children amidst her battle with poverty and recovering from drug addiction. When we later learn she will be bringing another child into her fragile situation and see her struggle to avoid relapse following the stress of it all, it is a sobering but frustrating glimpse into how sometimes the vulnerable can’t help but get into their own way.
It’s this authenticity that helps in making the film compelling, providing the audience with an intimate view into what life can be like for someone from a disadvantaged background who wishes to escape the system but was never provided with the tools to learn how to do so. This can be attributed to an impressive directorial debut for photographer turned filmmaker Savanah Leaf and acting debut for Nomore. Leaf utilizes visual storytelling through Gia’s day job of being a portrait photographer in the mall, forced to photograph family pictures while struggling to unite her own, to further illuminate her personal struggle, and also imbues the film with striking visual environmental images of Pacific Ocean beachfronts at sunset or Gia walking pregnant in the forest that hearken to her former profession. Nomore brings a realism to the character of Gia, mostly through a subtle portrayal of someone quietly battling demons and depression while trying to keep it together for both the world and themselves. It’s a display that comes across as an actor who is seasoned rather than someone onscreen for the first time at all, much less as a lead.
Earth Mama is a worthwhile glimpse at the struggles that many women go through when navigating a complicated social system and unforgiving world, but the weight of its statements, depictions, and emotions aren’t always matched by its compellingness. It can feel like a tedious watch at times and for some viewers, Gia’s raw and real characterization may make her an unsympathetic protagonist at points, pulling those for whom that is important part of viewing movies out of the story somewhat. The technical skill of Savanah Leaf behind the camera is apparent and Tia Nomore is quite impressive for a newcomer to acting. The film has its bright spots and is a good first step for both talents, but doesn’t fully connect as a complete piece of work.
Image: A24
