Download a Quicktime movie clip of His Mother's Voice by Dennis Tupicoff. 644Kb. © Dennis Tupicoff.

His Mother's Voice © Dennis Tupicoff.

What can a mother say when her son is violently taken away from her? Dennis Tupicoff's latest endeavor, His Mother's Voice, answers the question - twice.

Matthew Easdale was shot dead in a house in Brisbane, Australia in April 1995. His mother, Kathy Easdale, was interviewed for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Association) Radio a few weeks later. That broadcast provides the voice track for His Mother's Voice, a film in which Tupicoff explores how such an earth-shattering event can resonate with an audience.

Feeling the Loss
For all the horror and strife in the world today, it's safe to say that most mothers will not have to experience the sudden, brutal loss of a child. Fortunately, it's difficult for many of us to relate to or even imagine the feeling of losing our own flesh and blood.

Of course, the whole point of a narrative is to involve the audience, to the point where they empathize with at least one person on the screen. If Lost World can make us feel even a little bit linked to a leather-jacketed mathematician running away from cloned dinosaurs, then surely something with its roots in reality can move us. Using a curious blend of realism and stylization, Tupicoff does the job - but not in a way we expect.

As the camera closes in on a live-action radio, the interviewer asks one question, `What happened on the night of the murder?' Mrs. Easdale begins narrating the night's events, and the scene is quickly transformed into a dark but colorful rotoscoped reminiscence, with thick lines and a flat color scheme reminiscent of Tupicoff's Darra Dogs. We watch a re-enactment of the evening unfold, as Mrs. Easdale hears the news that something has happened, drives to the house, and discovers her son was shot. The camera alternates between following her and giving us her point of view as she waits outside while the paramedics try to save Matthew. Eventually, she gets the news: her son has died. Mrs. Easdale's monologue ends with the recounting of Matthew's brother's reaction to the news.

A rotoscoped Mrs. Easdale in the second half of His Mother's Voice. © Dennis Tupicoff.

Take Two
Then it starts all over again.

Well, not exactly. The dialogue starts over and there's rotoscoped footage. Only this time, the footage is of the interview taking place at Mrs. Easdale's home, and the medium is rougher, like pencil on paper. The camera only spends a brief time in the house before wandering outside, observing the quiet suburb, and eventually returning indoors to close in on Mrs. Easdale's face as she recounts her surviving son's reaction.