Pépée, a story without a fall

Show & Culture

"My mother was an alcoholic, she died from it." A few notes of a scatological lullaby are followed by this phrase, given in the same breath. Pépée was her mother's nickname, a lawyer at the Liège bar, feared in court and adored by all. Also a woman who could pick her daughter up from school completely drunk, order three taxis for a single trip, and sing out of tune while claiming to have perfect pitch. From this childhood split between shame and admiration, Josépha Sini makes neither a trial nor a sermon. Never choosing between the tragic and hilarious, she becomes in turn the watchful child and the staggering woman. She tells the story of defining moments and recreates her mother as a whole person, beyond just 'mom'.