Motherboard (film)

Motherboard is a 2024 feature-length documentary film directed by Victoria Mapplebeck. The film chronicles Mapplebeck’s experiences of solo motherhood and her relationship with her son Jim, over a period of approximately twenty years.

Mapplebeck began filming after becoming a single mother at the age of 38, initially using a DVCAM before transitioning to successive generations of smartphone cameras to document two decades of raising her son alone. The documentary also engages with themes of technology in contemporary storytelling, using mobile devices as a primary medium for cinematic expression.

The film combines filmed conversations with Mapplebeck and her son, video diaries, text messages and voice notes to chart their family life over two decades. Events depicted include Mapplebeck’s breast cancer diagnosis and the absence of Jim’s father from much of his upbringing It offers an intimate exploration of motherhood, childhood, family dynamics, and personal resilience.