(S)mothering Myself: Feelings in Renting a Mother Part II

Synopsis

Part II unfolds as a conversation between a mother, portrayed by the rental mother Suzuki-san, and me. It draws on my interview with Suzuki-san, a divorcee in her sixties, while referencing the Japanese folklore figure of Yuki-onna (the Snow Woman). At first, the work presents itself as an ordinary exchange between mother and daughter. As the narrative develops, however, the boundary between fact and myth, reality and fantasy, becomes increasingly unstable. The tale of Yuki-onna is often framed as a tale of maternity, centered on a beautiful supernatural woman with the lethal ability to freeze men to death. In one version, she contemplates killing her husband after he breaks a promise, but ultimately refrains for the sake of their children.