MOM'S DAY OFF | Omeleto

Two mothers relax. Cait and Julia are two mothers who are taking a day off at a salon. They're hoping for some rest, relaxation and pampering as a break from childcare and household chores. But when they take the salon up on a "back room treatment," they discover it's not a spa-like indulgence, but a surreal, magical and sometimes scary journey into their hidden desires. Through several bewildering scenarios, the friends are confronted with their needs for power, autonomy, joy and nurturing, and must decide if they want to keep moving -- or stay stuck in the back forever. Directed by David Ebert and written by co-lead actors Caitlin Brodnick and Julia Kelly, this surreal short comedy takes a sometimes dark, winking and eccentric look at modern motherhood, particularly as it affects the identities of the women who take on the role. With stylistic hints of both comedic farce and cosmic horror, it imagines a kind of vision quest for two suburban mothers who have lost themselves in the busyness of caring for small children and need to get back in touch with their essential needs. The journey that Cait and Julia take is fun and fantastical, but the emotions explored are grounded in a reality where the role of mother often requires a significant sacrifice of time, energy and vitality, leaving many to wonder where their old selves went. Outside of a brief goodbye between Cait, her husband and her child, we don't see Cait and Julia as moms in action; instead, we meet them as their harried, tired selves entering an oddball salon for a day of "me time." But when they're quickly ushered into the mysterious set of back rooms at the salon, the surrealism of the storytelling kicks into gear. In terms of visual style, it's a bit like "TWIN PEAKS, but make it comedy," with the theatrical mise-en-scene, luridly saturated lighting and colors and the parade of oddball moments and scenarios. Things get even weirder when Julia and Cait find the rooms that promise to give them exactly what they need to restore their spirits, a development that actors Brodnick and Kelly revel in, finding the balance in their performances between the groundedness of emotions and the comedy of the scenarios. Julia just wants to feel taken care of; Cait finds her voice. How these desires play out is played for laughs, but they usher the narrative to its wry, funny conclusion, each character having found what they needed. In a world where self-care is reduced to sheet masks and foot massages and expected to allay the deepening burnout and isolation of caregivers who often work without support, compensation or recognition, MOM'S DAY OFF gestures to the deeper needs of self that we all need: a voice that matters, reciprocal care and time to rest. Everyone needs mom energy, even moms themselves. MOM'S DAY OFF. Courtesy of Caitlin Brodnick at https://caitlinbrodnick.co.