Who Is the Mother Who Can Speak?

Decolonial Perspectives and the Universalization of Motherhood in “Unconditional — The Myth of Motherhood”

Abstract

This article analyzes the documentary “Unconditional — The Myth of Motherhood” (2024), by Patrícia Fróes, from a decolonial feminist perspective. To observe the film’s feminist political proposal, the article draws on feminist studies of motherhood. The assumptions of decolonial feminism are also articulated in order to expose the effects of the coloniality of gender on the feminist struggle itself. The analysis of the film reveals a discourse that evokes a predominantly white and middle-class motherhood, but also points to fissures of resistance in the interviewees’ statements, such as the rejection of the label of “warrior” and the defense of care as a collective responsibility. It emphasizes the importance of plural audiovisual representations, sensitive to differences in race, class, and territory.