Melissa: Mom and Me
Yael and Melissa met 7 year ago, while working as strippers in Japan. Yael an, Israeli photographer, filmed their blooming friendship. During the filming Melissa reviled the story of her abusive father, the story of her 3 abounded kids, and mostly her feeling of being lost in the world. In 2009 after meeting the film director Limor Pinhasov, they decided to travel to the USA and see how Melissa is doing today. Yael became a respected artist she married and seems to be well. In the USA we found Mellissa struggling one day at the time. The heart of this film is the powerful reunion of two courageous, sincere women.
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Reviews
Fantastic!
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
An hour ago, I sat, blue, depressed, not having any idea why or how my life became such a mess -as I feel it is. A mother of three wonderful kids, a grandmother, too... whose biggest problem is : 'not having enough money to get an apartment '. I chose -dont know why- to watch 'Melissa Mom and me', just to pass some time...and what a strange story! Two women living so different lives...each one discontented, but so very lucky (I believe) to have met again.... I LOVED that both of them, felt their reunion as an important event....and I LOVE the film. Mostly because Yael was (and still is) such a great communicator. No sentimentality, no 'art'photography but a lot of empathy through every minute. (After having watched this film, my own problems seems small... and I know which friend from my past, I'll go visit; very soon!)
Just saw this documentary on a Swedish channel, just by chance. I usually like these biography documentaries about people from "poor" background etc. Only reason I didn't change channels, is because I love documentaries. Other peoples lives fascinates me. And I did like this one! I didn't expect anything from this documentary as I just stumbled upon it. It was very well made and captivating. I had to pause it to go to the toilet (I very rarely do that...)It follows the journey of Israeli Yael, who once was a stripper in Japan. There she met American Melissa and theybecame friends amongst drugs and misery.Back in Israel, Yael finds herself obsessed with Melissa and, I felt, she might actually be in love with her, but denying it due to faith, parents,culture etc. It is never explained Anyway, seven years after their Japan stay, Yael goes to America to find Melissa. What is she doing now? What about the kids she abandoned to go to Japan.? Does Melissa remember Yael?I gave this a 9. It could have been a ten if I'd got some more explanations. Why did Melissa return to the US? How did she overcome her drug addiction? What motivated her? How did she meet her husband? What is his opinion about her past? Why did Yael and Melissa go to Japan in the first place? Is that common? The leap from stripping to "ordinary" life is not explained for either of them. It left me wanting more information. It was too short, essentially.I loved Yaels narrating, her voice, the questions she asked and the emotions she shared, were spot on (both in the old and the new filming). Her photography is also brilliant, even in the "home video" films from the Japan years. It almost feels arranged. Yael has definitely found her media and should continue making documentaries and taking photos!Thank you for a lovely documentary, and good luck raising your family! You'll make a great mom, Yael, with that brain, your beauty and all that experience to share :)