Film hasn’t often been kind to young Black mothers like Gia in “Earth Mama.” Too often, women who are struggling to do the best they can for their children are blamed for their own circumstances. The presumption is they have squandered their opportunities to live and do better, but the problem, as “Earth Mama” illustrates, is too often they haven’t been given shoes, let alone bootstraps.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Gia (played by Tia Nomore) is a young mother whose two children have been taken by the state. That means she gets to see them only an hour a week during supervised visits.