Once My Mother

Extraordinarily poignant and a powerful documentary providing an incredible insight into one woman's epic struggle to survive WWII, Stalin's gulags and how she triumphs over impossible odds. In the end it's a love story of a daughter telling her mothers will to live and make a new life for herself and her daughter in a new land. I found the historical war footage, Russian gulags, interviews of her mother in Australia in the 1960's and finally as an old lady in her final days gave the story depth in terms of context and made it very compelling to learn about the WWII history, Stalin, survival and the documentary makers reconciliation and honoring her mothers strength and the love for each other.

Highly recommend it.