Motherboard
A candid, decades-spanning self-portrait of one woman documenting the hard-won grandeur of raising a child alone.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- intimate
- candid
- reflective
- reflective evening
- family viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Victoria Mapplebeck films her own solo motherhood across more than two decades.
The film frames solo motherhood as an epic journey that begins and ends at home.
The stated premise follows Mapplebeck from being single, pregnant, and broke through the long experience of motherhood.
Mapplebeck turns the camera on herself and builds the film from a personal archive accumulated over decades.
Films like Motherboard, and why
Tarnation
Shares autobiographical documentary form, intimate self-recording, and long-term family storytelling.
Stories We Tell
Shares personal documentary filmmaking, parent-child intimacy, and reflective domestic themes.
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Shares a warm, emotionally candid portrait of family, aging, and home-recorded memory.
Movie Details
- Director
- Victoria Mapplebeck
- Release Date
- 2025-08-15
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (2)
Cast
- Victoria Mapplebeck
Common questions
- What is Motherboard about?
- A candid, decades-spanning self-portrait of one woman documenting the hard-won grandeur of raising a child alone.
- What is Motherboard like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Motherboard as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Motherboard violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Motherboard.
- Which films are like Motherboard?
- Films with a similar feel include Tarnation, Stories We Tell, and Dick Johnson Is Dead.
- How long is Motherboard?
- Motherboard runs 87 minutes.
