"How am I ever supposed to take care of myself," I cried to my mom, "when I can't even take care of a plant?!"
I was 15 and my cactus had just died from overwatering. I avoided house plants for years, until I came across a pothos while my mental health was in the gutter. The little thing became everything to me. I propagated it, bought more plants. Whenever dark clouds come rolling into my mind, I lay my plants extra attention. "I take good care of myself, little one," I tell them while watering them, "so I can take better care of you."
Magnus von Horn's 'The Girl with the Needle' is a masterclass in tension and atmosphere. The film's exploration of societal pressures on women, the desperation of poverty and the complexities of motherhood is both disturbing and compelling. What did you make of it?
