Momma is a short film that tells its story not through words but through the sheer brilliance of Maceo Smedley’s performance. Smedley plays nine-year-old Darius, a boy who continues his daily routine after his mother disappears. Darius fears being taken away from his mother, so he pushes on with life as if nothing is amiss.
Momma’s narrative resembles Travis Butler’s shocking true story
Filmed by cinematographer Alexander d’Audiffret, Momma is based on a true story. Though the filmmakers haven’t revealed which true story inspired the shot film, its similarities with the Travis Butler saga are apparent.
Travis Butler lived with his mother’s dead body for 33 days in their East Memphis apartment because he feared he would be taken away from his family. “He had a fear of leaving his mother, leaving his apartment, or people taking him away,” Butler’s grandmother, Shirley Wilder, told News Channel 3.
“I did what I had to do as a normal kid at that time, go to school, do your homework,” Butler told the outlet. “At that time, teacher sent certain documents home, I signed them as if my mom was still living.”