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Unconditional Love: A Memoir of Filmmaking and Motherhood
A MEMOIR OF FILMMAKING AND MOTHERHOOD by the director of The Dressmaker
‘ Unconditional Love is a shining example of the strength of mothers. Jocelyn’s sensitivity and humour made me fall in love with her passion for filmmaking and her family. Her resilience is inspiring and beautiful.’ Nicole Kidman
‘A truly wonderful book, a heartfelt achievement. I read it over two days, unable to put it down.’ Jane Campion
‘A beguiling memoir, written from the heart, revealing a life lived truly.’ Cate Blanchett
I want to write about being a mother, and about raising four extraordinary kids. Being their parent is like having an intense love affair with four people at the same time. And I want to write about making movies and writing screenplays. I come from a long line of storytellers.
Jocelyn Moorhouse grew up with adoring parents and siblings. She knew early on that she wanted to be a filmmaker, and her dreams were encouraged by her family and by her teachers.
Meeting P.J. Hogan, becoming parents and filmmakers together, was a turning point. But when they discovered that two of their children were autistic, Jocelyn’s life turned upside down. In Unconditional Love , she writes with humour and intelligence about her fears and hopes for her children, the highs and lows in her international career, about Hollywood and home, and about her love for what she does best – filmmaking and motherhood.
Jocelyn Moorhouse, award-winning screenplay writer and film director, was born in Melbourne in 1960. She has directed numerous films, including Proof , How to Make an American Quilt , A Thousand Acres and The Dressmaker . She has produced some of her husband P.J. Hogan’s films, including Muriel’s Wedding and Mental . They have four children, two of whom are autistic.
‘[A]n inspirational read...Moorhouse and Hogan’s lives are testament to the imperative sacrifices of parenthood...Stories like [these] are crucial to our understanding of what being a mother means in our modern society.' Readings Monthly
‘Through deeply personal ruminations about herself and her family, the director makes the point that being a great artist is never as important as being a good human being.’ Guardian
‘[Jocelyn] lays bare her soul … she writes frankly about the challenges associated with being a mum and a career woman. ... It's a heartfelt account you'll want to finish in one sitting.’ Age
‘ Unconditional Love is a shining example of the strength of mothers. Jocelyn’s sensitivity and humour made me fall in love with her passion for filmmaking and her family. Her resilience is inspiring and beautiful.’ Nicole Kidman
‘A truly wonderful book, a heartfelt achievement. I read it over two days, unable to put it down.’ Jane Campion
‘A beguiling memoir, written from the heart, revealing a life lived truly.’ Cate Blanchett
I want to write about being a mother, and about raising four extraordinary kids. Being their parent is like having an intense love affair with four people at the same time. And I want to write about making movies and writing screenplays. I come from a long line of storytellers.
Jocelyn Moorhouse grew up with adoring parents and siblings. She knew early on that she wanted to be a filmmaker, and her dreams were encouraged by her family and by her teachers.
Meeting P.J. Hogan, becoming parents and filmmakers together, was a turning point. But when they discovered that two of their children were autistic, Jocelyn’s life turned upside down. In Unconditional Love , she writes with humour and intelligence about her fears and hopes for her children, the highs and lows in her international career, about Hollywood and home, and about her love for what she does best – filmmaking and motherhood.
Jocelyn Moorhouse, award-winning screenplay writer and film director, was born in Melbourne in 1960. She has directed numerous films, including Proof , How to Make an American Quilt , A Thousand Acres and The Dressmaker . She has produced some of her husband P.J. Hogan’s films, including Muriel’s Wedding and Mental . They have four children, two of whom are autistic.
‘[A]n inspirational read...Moorhouse and Hogan’s lives are testament to the imperative sacrifices of parenthood...Stories like [these] are crucial to our understanding of what being a mother means in our modern society.' Readings Monthly
‘Through deeply personal ruminations about herself and her family, the director makes the point that being a great artist is never as important as being a good human being.’ Guardian
‘[Jocelyn] lays bare her soul … she writes frankly about the challenges associated with being a mum and a career woman. ... It's a heartfelt account you'll want to finish in one sitting.’ Age
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2019
12 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 13, 2020
3.75 Stars rounded up to 4
I actually never heard of the Australian screenwriter and film director Jocelyn Moorhouse. However, my love of biographies and the very inviting book cover lured me in to reading this. She once wrote and produced a film called "Unconditional Love", so this serves as a fitting title for a book chronicling the challenges of raising two autistic children.
The book begins with Jocelyn's childhood growing up in Austrailia. She had asthma, and because of her Dad's job opportunity the family moved from Melbourne to the lush, tropical locale of Papua New Guinea. In comparison to chilly and damp Melbourne, this was a steamy jungle. The new environment cured Jocelyn's asthma symptoms, but the family later returned to Australia, to a mysterious ancient house christened "Moonfleet". I very much enjoyed reading about Jocelyn's coming of age years lived at this home she would later refer to as "the home I would visit in my dreams for the rest of my life". She experienced first love there. I was impressed by her spunk when at the age of sixteen she forthrightly approached her parents about going on birth control pills. While her father looked away and pretended he hadn't heard anything, the mother asked for Jocelyn to wait a little while. Then Jocelyn replied, "Well, we've already done it..." Lol.
Not discouraged by the bias towards woman working behind the camera in the film industry, Jocelyn pursued that track in college. While there she befriended and then fell in love with a fellow student on the same career path, P.J. Hogan. They married and immediately began working in the film industry as writers, producers and directors, slowly building successful careers while also maintaining a thriving marriage. I am vaguely familiar with some of their work product over the years, such as the films, "Muriel's Wedding", "How to Make an American Quilt" and "The Dressmaker". They had to move around a lot to locales such as Los Angeles, Chicago and London while making these films. Sometimes they delayed a film just to accommodate an actress they coveted for a role who had become pregnant. P.J. and Jocelyn often helped each other on their films, which sounds like a lovely way to experience marriage, doing what you love to do together. P.J. was great at making storyboards for Jocelyn's films, and Jocelyn was a gifted screenwriter.
However, the biggest challenge of all was when they started having children. While their firstborn Spike had no problem issues, their subsequent two middle children Lily and Jack were autistic. It was riveting and emotional reading of the symptoms and diagnoses of this condition, and the relentless therapy required to help autistic children thrive. As a parent, it truly overtakes your life. At times it is quite scary, not knowing why your child is screaming or even resorting to violence. Jocelyn sought out the appropriate help for Lily and Jack. The daughter had a much more extreme case of autism and even attacked Jocelyn physically at the age of 20. Things became so untenable at one point that they considered placing Lily in a home. The amount of time and devotion to at home therapy for her autistic children necessitated Jocelyn's more than a decade break from the film industry. My takeaway from this read was how much this diagnosis changes your life as a parent. It makes me feel incredibly lucky that I did not have to go through what Jocelyn did. Luckily she had the support of her husband (both financially and bodily) so that Jocelyn could stay at home to care for these children, as well as hire therapists and caregivers as needed. Even after living through such a challenging life experience, they still had a fourth child, a daughter named Maddy.
The book's title "Unconditional Love" is a very apt choice for describing these very loving and dedicated parents, Jocelyn Moorhouse and P.J. Hogan. The book was quite interesting, enlightening, and very well-written.
Thank you to Text Publishing Company who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
I actually never heard of the Australian screenwriter and film director Jocelyn Moorhouse. However, my love of biographies and the very inviting book cover lured me in to reading this. She once wrote and produced a film called "Unconditional Love", so this serves as a fitting title for a book chronicling the challenges of raising two autistic children.
The book begins with Jocelyn's childhood growing up in Austrailia. She had asthma, and because of her Dad's job opportunity the family moved from Melbourne to the lush, tropical locale of Papua New Guinea. In comparison to chilly and damp Melbourne, this was a steamy jungle. The new environment cured Jocelyn's asthma symptoms, but the family later returned to Australia, to a mysterious ancient house christened "Moonfleet". I very much enjoyed reading about Jocelyn's coming of age years lived at this home she would later refer to as "the home I would visit in my dreams for the rest of my life". She experienced first love there. I was impressed by her spunk when at the age of sixteen she forthrightly approached her parents about going on birth control pills. While her father looked away and pretended he hadn't heard anything, the mother asked for Jocelyn to wait a little while. Then Jocelyn replied, "Well, we've already done it..." Lol.
Not discouraged by the bias towards woman working behind the camera in the film industry, Jocelyn pursued that track in college. While there she befriended and then fell in love with a fellow student on the same career path, P.J. Hogan. They married and immediately began working in the film industry as writers, producers and directors, slowly building successful careers while also maintaining a thriving marriage. I am vaguely familiar with some of their work product over the years, such as the films, "Muriel's Wedding", "How to Make an American Quilt" and "The Dressmaker". They had to move around a lot to locales such as Los Angeles, Chicago and London while making these films. Sometimes they delayed a film just to accommodate an actress they coveted for a role who had become pregnant. P.J. and Jocelyn often helped each other on their films, which sounds like a lovely way to experience marriage, doing what you love to do together. P.J. was great at making storyboards for Jocelyn's films, and Jocelyn was a gifted screenwriter.
However, the biggest challenge of all was when they started having children. While their firstborn Spike had no problem issues, their subsequent two middle children Lily and Jack were autistic. It was riveting and emotional reading of the symptoms and diagnoses of this condition, and the relentless therapy required to help autistic children thrive. As a parent, it truly overtakes your life. At times it is quite scary, not knowing why your child is screaming or even resorting to violence. Jocelyn sought out the appropriate help for Lily and Jack. The daughter had a much more extreme case of autism and even attacked Jocelyn physically at the age of 20. Things became so untenable at one point that they considered placing Lily in a home. The amount of time and devotion to at home therapy for her autistic children necessitated Jocelyn's more than a decade break from the film industry. My takeaway from this read was how much this diagnosis changes your life as a parent. It makes me feel incredibly lucky that I did not have to go through what Jocelyn did. Luckily she had the support of her husband (both financially and bodily) so that Jocelyn could stay at home to care for these children, as well as hire therapists and caregivers as needed. Even after living through such a challenging life experience, they still had a fourth child, a daughter named Maddy.
The book's title "Unconditional Love" is a very apt choice for describing these very loving and dedicated parents, Jocelyn Moorhouse and P.J. Hogan. The book was quite interesting, enlightening, and very well-written.
Thank you to Text Publishing Company who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
Read
May 6, 2019‘Through deeply personal ruminations about herself and her family, the director makes the point that being a great artist is never as important as being a good human being.’
Guardian
‘[Jocelyn] lays bare her soul … she writes frankly about the challenges associated with being a mum and a career woman. ... It's a heartfelt account you'll want to finish in one sitting.’
Age
‘[A]n inspirational read...Moorhouse and Hogan’s lives are testament to the imperative sacrifices of parenthood...Stories like [these] are crucial to our understanding of what being a mother means in our modern society.'
Readings Monthly
‘Moorhouse has the storyteller’s powerful memory for details and the filmmaker’s eye for the emotionally imbued image…an inspirational read for anyone interested in the film industry—and a cautionary tale for all parents who may wonder if they can, or indeed should, have it all.’
Books + Publishing
Guardian
‘[Jocelyn] lays bare her soul … she writes frankly about the challenges associated with being a mum and a career woman. ... It's a heartfelt account you'll want to finish in one sitting.’
Age
‘[A]n inspirational read...Moorhouse and Hogan’s lives are testament to the imperative sacrifices of parenthood...Stories like [these] are crucial to our understanding of what being a mother means in our modern society.'
Readings Monthly
‘Moorhouse has the storyteller’s powerful memory for details and the filmmaker’s eye for the emotionally imbued image…an inspirational read for anyone interested in the film industry—and a cautionary tale for all parents who may wonder if they can, or indeed should, have it all.’
Books + Publishing
May 18, 2019
A very deep insight into the life of an extraordinary family who was also so very ordinary, reminding us that we all share the same highs and lows and the sadness and happiness of life. Jocelyn shared the grief and ultimate joy of your child not being the mystical being you imagine they will be but the that this new being is remarkable anyway. This memoir abounds with love.
May 23, 2019
'Unconditional Love' is a striking memoir, Jocelyn Moorhouse has created a breathtaking account of her life, regalling her career in filmmaking, motherhood and the loss of her beloved parents.
The Dressmaker movie, reached into our homes and became a favourite, Jocelyn Moorhouse was the director and the movie is a snapshot into her far reaching talent. Reading her book is a delight to the heart and mind, immediately her stead of story telling speaks right into your depth, capturing your inner workings.
Married to the equally talented PJ Hogan, Moorhouse opens up their home and the life they have created together. Speaking candidly of their four children, with two having autism, Moorhouse almost processes her journey through motherhood out loud.
It is a courageous and authentic telling of all the pieces that make up her identity, a spectacular memoir of her narrative.
I devoured this book, it was relatable and intelligent, filled with courage and vulnerability. A great book to lose yourself in, one that will feed the soul.
The Dressmaker movie, reached into our homes and became a favourite, Jocelyn Moorhouse was the director and the movie is a snapshot into her far reaching talent. Reading her book is a delight to the heart and mind, immediately her stead of story telling speaks right into your depth, capturing your inner workings.
Married to the equally talented PJ Hogan, Moorhouse opens up their home and the life they have created together. Speaking candidly of their four children, with two having autism, Moorhouse almost processes her journey through motherhood out loud.
It is a courageous and authentic telling of all the pieces that make up her identity, a spectacular memoir of her narrative.
I devoured this book, it was relatable and intelligent, filled with courage and vulnerability. A great book to lose yourself in, one that will feed the soul.
October 1, 2020
A well written, interesting book. I enjoyed it on many levels. It gave a good insight into making films and the long hours and sacrifices involved. The intimate sharing of the heartbreak, struggles and ultimate acceptance of living with two children with autism, while trying to live a loving family life was humbling and inspirational. Both my husband and I couldn’t put it down until we had finished. Highly recommended.
May 22, 2021
Great learning about a local girl and where she ended up. Combining her movie making career with her ordinary everyday life and struggles made it a compelling read. Learning about the struggles of learning your child/ren had autism and dealing with that was an eye opener into the very real struggles. But it was all done in a positive way boosted by great family supports. Highly recommend.
January 19, 2023
I dont know what the heck happened, I read this book ages ago and recorded it on the goodreads APP, and for some reason it wasn't recorded, shoot. Oh well, am about to drop a ton of books I read that goodreads didn't record and update
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews