In 2013, Chantal Akerman's mother was gravely ill. The book "My Mother Laughs" was born out of a writing practice that accompanied the experience of caring for her ailing mother. While dressing, feeding, and putting her to bed, Akerman writes about family and childhood, her mother's rescue from Auschwitz, her tormented relationship with a young woman named S., and her fear of what would happen when her mother actually died. "My Mother Laughs" is the quintessential themes Akerman has explored throughout her career. Akerman's melancholic voice, always attentive to the private and liminal, captures the raw everyday and illuminates its underbelly, speaking of alienation and the search for grounding. The book contains photographs from Chantal Akerman's personal archive and stills from her films.