What is the film about?

POSTPARTUM (Original Title: WOCHENBETT) is about the chaotic phase in life of a new mother. Pumped up with hormones and lacking sleep, this intense time has burned deep into the protagonist’s heart. This film is an honest and very personal insight into the world of an overwhelmed mother, who seriously thought that parental leave would become a sort of sabbatical. Terms such as ‘maternity leave’ and ‘after baby body’ are questioned and thoughts that a mother is apparently not allowed to have are openly expressed. Breastfeeding can be a pain in the ass. Social media too.

What influenced it?

With POSTPARTUM I want to acknowledge the massive and maybe overwhelming change that probably every woman experiences after giving birth. The challenges that come with motherhood are so complex and our society should give much bigger props to all mums and dads in general.

A little background information...

Almost two years ago I decided to create an animated short film about one of the most absurd and emotional phases in my life so far. When I had my first child, my husband and I had no idea what to expect. Full of hormones and lack of sleep, this intense time has burned itself deeply into our hearts. We had so many weird, funny and sad moments during the first days and weeks with our newborn, that it was almost mandatory to me to make a film out of it.

How was the film made?

Before completing this film, my core work was focused on illustration and gif-animation. Since I have barely any filmmaking experience, the whole film was a learning-by-doing-project. My work-flow is quite odd, but the outcome is what counts, right? I drew everything frame by frame in Adobe Photoshop and put everything together in Adobe Premiere.