Around the world, joint custody over the children is common after parents’ divorce, thus sharing the responsibilities. However, as revealed in the documentary Mommy or Daddy? only one parental unit has custody over the child and frequently completely shuts out the other parent.

This cultural understanding raises children with only one parental unit and no association with the other. The documentary explores the implications on people and how society is slowly transforming its culture towards joint custody involvement.

Here is the full description:

After an acrimonious divorce, Rinae’s husband forbade her from ever again seeing their son. The resulting alienation from her only child sent her life into a tailspin that eventually led to a suicide attempt, and resuscitation in the emergency room. Through the process of recovery, Rinae’s self-pity turns into a desire to see her son again, sending her on a journey that brings unexpected allies into her world. Along with her newfound friends – from a group striving to reunite children with their parents – she discovers both the will to live and her purpose in life.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta chatted with director John H. LaDue Jr. on this documentary Mommy or Daddy? We talked about the culture and history of parental separation in Japan, his main subject, and the use of animation to tell specific stories.

John H. LaDue Jr. has been a television journalist in Tokyo, Japan, for the past thirteen years. He created news documentaries for Japan’s international public broadcaster NHK. In 2018, he formed Kintsugi Pictures LLC which produces documentaries on Japanese political, economic, and social issues in Japan for NHK World and Nippon TV. Currently, he is in pre-production of the documentary Children of the Sun set for release next year.

Mommy or Daddy? is currently available on all digital platforms.

Watch the exclusive interview with John H. LaDue Jr. below. Let us know what you think of the interview.

For news and interview pitches, contact Gig Patta at [email protected].

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Kintsugi Pictures