City life has always piqued curiosity about who the stranger is on the street and this hauntingly original narrative answers the question by sifting through the complicated lives of four different women, bound together by a threatening NYC subway incident. Its title, Materna, (Latin for maternal), evokes the central theme of each of the stories where, like a door opening to a deeply intimate space, their hunger, vulnerability, and intricate battles about motherhood are revealed. Through the unique format of four distinctive vignettes, David Gutnik showcases deep, character-driven storytelling about inherently divisive topics that gradually builds to a crescendo. The powerhouse performances and striking cinematography have earned the film several prizes at film festivals last year.