Come Home, 2021
Documentary film, 50 minutes
Watch the video trailer

As part of the residency awarded to Marta Stysiak for winning the 2020 BRC Biennial Competition for New Work, Stysiak extended her video installation Badland into a feature length documentary called ‘Come Home’.

Exploring core themes of young motherhood and the mother-daughter relationship, ‘Come Home’ is the story of a young Polish mother. The film follows 16-year-old Victoria’s journey into motherhood, documenting her turbulent relationship with her own mother and her experiences as her infant son is removed to foster care and she is unable to visit him.

What happens to a mother who is deprived of her motherhood? Set against the background of the Polish juvenile re-socialisation programme, 'Come Home' engages with significant and urgent discussions around maternal mental health, universal access to childcare and social support, adoption practice and birth control.

The film's narrative is accompanied by Victoria's music and songs, in which the girl skillfully translates her feelings and action into the language of rap. Her lyrics carry a huge emotional load and allow us to get to know her, and her story better.