(1999, 39.5 minutes)

A documentary unlike any other, The Moody Brood explodes the myth of the idealized, normal family-a popular and pervasive post-WWII notion. The film examines issues universal to all families: the effects of community and religion, the influence of siblings, and the moral standards imposed by parents. Award-winning filmmaker Lulu Keating traces the lives of her 10 siblings from their childhood in the 1940s to present day, from a small Catholic community to the world stage. Along the way, she asks some difficult questions: Can we, as adults, shed past experiences? Or do they shape our whole lives?
In this innovative production, Keating conducts interviews using a small tape recorder, rather than a film crew, to allow her siblings to respond more candidly. Her kaleidoscope of old family photographs on painted backgrounds are brought to sparking life by animator Helen Hill. Combining 16mm film, computer manipulation, and a whimsical soundscape by Helen Bredin and composer Sandy Moore, Keating creates an offbeat look at the forces that shape family.

Directors: Lulu Keating
Producers: Red Snapper Films, Lulu Keating

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