Rachel Suissa has completed her debut American independent feature, Greek Mothers Never Die—a comic fantasy inspired by the true story of her Greek mother. She wrote, directed, and produced the film on Amelia Island, Florida, where she lives with her husband and two children, and also stars in one of the lead roles. The film had a successful festival run, including a screening at the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, and picked up awards for Best Director, Best Comedy, Best Fiction, and Best Performance. Rachel is now preparing to shoot her next film, The Americans, this fall.
About the film
Greek Mothers Never Die follows the journey of twenty-something Ella who struggles to break free of the overbearing control and interventions of her loving Greek mother. The film is set on Socrates Island, a fictional Florida location that borrows much from Amelia Island and of course Tarpon Springs. Despite being oceans away, Ella’s world remains a protective Greek enclave.
Her mother runs a Greek diner, surrounding Ella with Greeks, suffocating maternal wisdom and faith in the mystical powers of olive oil. When Ella’s mother unexpectedly passes away, the film takes on a supernatural twist with her mother’s haunting interference more present than ever, transcending all boundaries. This bitter-sweet comedy delves into the themes of identity, loss, growing up, and the ethereal (and inescapable) bonds that make us who we are.
Greek Mothers Never Die portrays a daughter torn between two worlds. What challenges did you experience during your transition from France to the US, especially with your Greek heritage?
I was born and raised in Paris, France, in an atmosphere full of multi-cultural energy. My mother emigrated from Greece and ran a Greek restaurant, while my father was French and Jewish, with a strong interest in Greek culture. He had a Greek nightclub (bouzoukia) that became a kind of headquarters for jet-setting Europeans. Growing up in Paris felt very international.
I spoke French, Greek, and English, and later became fluent in Spanish. Throughout my youth, I consumed massive doses of American pop culture—movies, television, music. You might say I was made to be an immigrant. I was already in love with America before I ever lived there.
Of course, the pop-culture version of America didn’t quite match everyday life, but the move still felt both familiar and like an adventure into the unknown. I could think of no better place to make independent films. There’s such a great American tradition of outsiders with small budgets creating lasting cinematic works.
How much of the story is drawn from your own life experiences, and as filmmaker how did you navigate blending fact with fiction?
The story borrows some concrete elements from my life and my mother’s, but more than anything, I was inspired by the abstract and thematic aspects of our relationship. I drew from her larger-than-life persona to create a robust (and only slightly exaggerated) character that felt both truthful and humorous.
I wanted to place that character—and the mother-daughter dynamic—into one of my favorite genres: the supernatural comedy. So yes, there are plenty of “true anecdotes,” but they’re woven into a fictional narrative. It was amusing to bring it all together, and writing the screenplay felt like therapy.
Photo Credit: Greek Mothers Never Die
The mother-daughter dynamic is central to your story. What inspired you to set this relationship as a supernatural one?
Death has always worried my mother, and I inherited much of her obsessive concern about its inevitable arrival. On a plane, I’m the passenger who spends the entire flight trying to disguise my nervousness and fear. So, I’ve always had a high regard for light-hearted supernatural movies that let characters endure in some way after death.
They beat death! When you have a mother who haunts her daughter in life with endless interventions and advice, it suddenly felt natural—almost inevitable—to explore the irony of that mother returning after death, hell-bent on continuing her mission of improving her hapless daughter’s life.
What hurdles does an indie filmmaker face today? How did you overcome them to bring this film to life.
Money is the big thing, certainly. With it, anything is possible—and without it, you spend a massive amount of time and energy trying to be resourceful, innovative, and scrappy, all while knowing you’ll have to compromise your original vision. But there’s an X factor that helped me overcome the limitations of a small budget: people.
I found the most amazing, talented cast and crew, and incredibly generous individuals who offered free locations, nearly free hotel rooms, and other services. That was a tremendous and wonderful surprise—the people. In pre-production, during the 17-day shoot, and throughout post-production, kind, generous, and hard-working people helped bring the movie to life.
What advice would you give to aspiring directors, especially those with multicultural backgrounds, looking to break into the industry?
The best advice I ever got was: don’t give up your dream of making a picture. Keep going, stay strong, and most importantly, be the one who keeps saying, “We’re making this movie, no matter what—it’s happening, whether we do it for a thousand dollars or ten million.”
I also believe it’s important to draw from personal stories, especially origin and local culture stories that often don’t get the spotlight. In many ways, we’re just beginning. Movies are still a young art form, and there are so many stories waiting to be told.
What do you hope audiences, especially those who share your cultural background, take away from this film?
Above all, I hope the audience enjoys the experience of watching the movie. I adore movies and the experience itself, and one of the great things in life, in my view, is to watch a film that moves me emotionally. So, I hope the audience will be moved when they watch Greek Mothers Never Die—that they laugh, lean in, and maybe shed a few tears of joy.
It’s a story that celebrates the love, warmth, and eccentric craziness of family and romantic relationships. I know that at times we feel desperate in our relationships with other people, but I hope that, in spite of our fears and differences, we can remember to laugh a bit, and keep a little hope and love in our hearts.
Greek Mothers Never Die will be released on demand on all digital platforms on May 9th and you can preorder it now on Apple TV+.
Special Screenings:
-Monday April 21st 6:30 pm at the New York AMC Village 7 to celebrate Greek Easter
-Mother’s Day Weekend (May 9-11) at Cinema 6 Port Richey near Tarpon Springs in Florida. (Q&A and special gifts for all mothers)
🎬 Watch the trailer here.
