Rating: 3.5/5
Gia is a mother. She has two kids, Trey and Shaynah. Both of them are in foster care because Gia is a recovering addict.
She struggles to make ends meet while attending all the requisite meetings and classes so that the state will see her as a fit mother.
She is also in the third trimester of another pregnancy.
The film follows Gia through the last trimester — her work, her friendships, and what little visitation time she gets with her kids.
As Gia learns to open up a bit, she also gets help from Miss Carmen, who leads a group and helps mothers like Gia break out of the system designed to make people like her fail.
The movie moves like a gentle current, slowly shifting to each scene. We get long shots where emotions develop, and we watch Gia go through the millions of thoughts and feelings she has in this impossible time.
The color of the movie has a desaturated, almost vintage vibe. The result is perfect for the cast of predominantly black women.
Tia Nomore, who plays Gia, gives an amazing acting performance. Tia was pregnant during most of the filming, so the physicality was already there. Her natural and subtle performance is the reason this movie works.
Thematically, it looks at cycles of abuse and neglect — how children from broken homes came from mothers with broken homes, and so on. Add to that being a black woman, and the system is rooting against you, even when you’re doing everything right.
This film is somber but not dour, as it looks at what realistic hope can be.