Documentary backdrop image for Unmothered (2019)

201973 minPGdocumentary

family-dynamics mental-health

Unmothered

201973 minPGdocumentary

Mona Guerrette's battle with breast cancer and her farewell message left a lasting impact on her husband and daughters, Mylène and Marie-France, after her death in 1995.

family-dynamics mental-health

Genres

Channel: NFB

Unmothered

2019• 73 minPG

Synopsis

Mona Guerrette's battle with breast cancer and her farewell message left a lasting impact on her husband and daughters, Mylène and Marie-France, after her death in 1995.

Synopsis

On August 31, 1995, Mona Guerrette passed away from breast cancer at the age of 42, leaving behind her husband and two daughters, Mylène and Marie-France. In the wake of her death, she left a poignant farewell message that encapsulated her life and values. Directed by Marie-France Guerrette, "Unmothered" explores the impact of Mona's legacy on her family, highlighting themes of love, loss, and resilience in the face of grief. The documentary runs for 72 minutes and was released in 2018.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Tu as crié LET ME GO (2018)

Tu as crié LET ME GO

Anne Claire Poirier reflects on the tragic murder of her daughter Yanne, who struggled with drugs and prostitution, transforming her grief into a powerful cinematic work.

Tu as crié LET ME GO

Absences (2023)

Absences

Three families search for missing loved ones, including a sister who disappeared at age 24 and would now be 29.

Motherland: Tales of Wonder (2017)

Motherland: Tales of Wonder

Seven mothers share their experiences and challenges with motherhood, questioning societal expectations and personal definitions of being a good mother.

Motherland: Tales of Wonder

The Children of Refus Global (2025)

The Children of Refus Global

In 1948, Paul-Émile Borduas' Refus global manifesto marked a pivotal moment in Quebec's history, influencing the lives of the artists' children, including filmmaker Manon Barbeau.

The Children of Refus Global

Mothers and Daughters (2023)

Mothers and Daughters

In a 24-hour period, patients at King's College Hospital face life-threatening situations, prompting reflections on love and loss among families.

Mothers and Daughters

Daughter of the Crater (2020)

Daughter of the Crater

2020•1h16m•★5.5TMDB

Yolande Simard Perrault reflects on her life shaped by the Charlevoix crater in Quebec, exploring her identity and contributions to Quebec cinema alongside filmmaker Pierre Perrault.

Daughter of the Crater

Mum And Me (Alzheimer's Documentary) (2017)

Mum And Me (Alzheimer's Documentary)

An 800-mile round trip is made each month by Sue Bourne to visit her mother, Ethel, who lives in a nursing home while battling Alzheimer's disease.

Mum And Me (Alzheimer's Documentary)

The Effects of an Absent Father (2014)

The Effects of an Absent Father

A mother searches for her 14-year-old daughter, Crystal Sanchez, who has been missing for a week after a shoplifting incident.

The Effects of an Absent Father

Motherless Daughters (2024)

Motherless Daughters

Women share their experiences of grief and loss due to Covid-19, alongside insights from a licensed therapist and life coach, highlighting the pandemic's lasting impact.

Motherless Daughters

Pandemic funerals: inside a mortuary during coronavirus (2020)

Pandemic funerals: inside a mortuary during coronavirus

At a natural burial ground, funeral director Graham navigates the complexities of conducting funerals under strict COVID-19 protocols, impacting traditional rituals and family participation.

Pandemic funerals: inside a mortuary during coronavirus

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales (2025)

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales

In a rural pension house in the Philippines, 77-year-old Caridad Cerbito Morales navigates life as a widow while longing to reconnect with her estranged child.

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth (2026)

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth

A transgender father navigates the complexities of childbirth while confronting his greatest fears, alongside stories of unconventional relationships.

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth

Explore Unmothered

Browse more like this

The Children of Refus Global (2025)

The Children of Refus Global

In 1948, Paul-Émile Borduas' Refus global manifesto marked a pivotal moment in Quebec's history, influencing the lives of the artists' children, including filmmaker Manon Barbeau.

The Children of Refus Global

No digital watch option in your country

Mothers and Daughters (2023)

Mothers and Daughters

In a 24-hour period, patients at King's College Hospital face life-threatening situations, prompting reflections on love and loss among families.

Mothers and Daughters

No digital watch option in your country

Daughter of the Crater (2020)

Daughter of the Crater

2020•1h16m•★5.5TMDB

Yolande Simard Perrault reflects on her life shaped by the Charlevoix crater in Quebec, exploring her identity and contributions to Quebec cinema alongside filmmaker Pierre Perrault.

Daughter of the Crater

No digital watch option in your country

Motherless Daughters (2024)

Motherless Daughters

Women share their experiences of grief and loss due to Covid-19, alongside insights from a licensed therapist and life coach, highlighting the pandemic's lasting impact.

Motherless Daughters

No digital watch option in your country

Dear Mother, I Meant to Write about Death (2022)

Dear Mother, I Meant to Write about Death

2022•1h3m•★10.0TMDB

A daughter studying abroad learns of her mother's hidden cancer diagnosis after 30 years of her mother working as a doctor.

Dear Mother, I Meant to Write about Death

My Mother's Letters (2018)

My Mother's Letters

2018•1h26m•★6.0TMDB

100 letters written by a mother of 16 children reveal her experiences managing family life and a carpentry business in rural Quebec.

My Mother's Letters

Flore (2014)

Flore

2014•1h35m•★8.0TMDB

Over three years, a son takes his mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s, out of a care facility and helps her regain her strength in Corsica.

Sheroes (2021)

Sheroes

2021•1h18m•★8.1TMDB

A midwife nearing 70 continues her mission of defending abortion rights while working with mothers in housing projects outside Paris.

Madwomen (2011)

Madwomen

2011•1h12m•★7.0TMDB

Gabriela Mistral, the Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet, navigates grief and creativity in her later years, as revealed through conversations recorded by Doris Dana.

Manu (2018)

Manu

2018•1h32m•★6.0TMDB

At 76, Belgian filmmaker Manu Bonmariage faces the challenges of Alzheimer's disease while his daughter seeks to reconnect with his legacy.

The Perpetual Leek (2021)

The Perpetual Leek

2021•1h23m•★6.0TMDB

An ant enters Zoé Chantre's home every March 5th, the same day that marks her mother's birthday and the start of spring for the insect.

The Perpetual Leek

All My Mother's Goats (2014)

All My Mother's Goats

2014•1h37m•★6.0TMDB

After 40 years of goat cheese manufacturing, Maguy faces the challenge of passing on her legacy to Anne-Sophie, a young farmer in the Gorges du Verdon.

All My Mother's Goats

Choosing Children (1984)

Choosing Children

1984•45m•★4.0TMDB

Forty-five minutes of candid interviews reveal the challenges faced by lesbian and gay parents in the United States during the 1980s.

Choosing Children

A Woman Like Monique (2025)

A Woman Like Monique

2025•1h21m•★7.0TMDB

An elderly actress with a personal oeuvre of over fifty films reflects on her cinematic career during a day of conversation with a young cyclist in Bretagne.

A Woman Like Monique

Mum's the Word (1996)

Mum's the Word

1996•54m•★8.0TMDB

Four Franco-Ontarian women in Sudbury, Ontario, come out as lesbian in their mid-40s after years of marriage and raising children.

Black Rain in My Eyes (2024)

Black Rain in My Eyes

Four blind daughters live in Syria while their father, a poet, tries to shield them from the realities of war as he prepares for a poetry forum.

Black Rain in My Eyes

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →