As sociologist Jessica Calarco notes, "Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women." AMERICAN MOTHER exposes how the world’s wealthiest nation relies on mothers as its unpaid safety net while posing their struggles to meet these impossible labor demands as personal shortcomings.

As a former public policy expert, working filmmaker, and a mother of two, I know personally how America's  inadequate  support pushes mothers to their breaking point. Intimate portraits of mothers struggling against overwhelming odds are woven with expert analysis of systemic failures and my personal journey connecting these threads to uncover deeper truths .

With maternal mental health deteriorating and economists warning of dire consequences, AMERICAN MOTHER captures a critical moment where transforming systems of family support becomes not just a moral imperative, but a fight for fundamental justice. 

— Kristin Fairweather, Director