Mental Health
In the Crackwalker, Theresa is a mentally ill woman in a relationship that is unhealthy with Alan. Due to their mental ineffectiveness, their baby dies in their custody. Sandy and Joe are also two unconventional couples whose relationship is plagued with a sex and drug addiction plus violence. The homeless man nicknamed crackwalker is labeled as a mental case. The people in the community judge him based on his homelessness. In I Am Yours, Dee is a mentally disturbed woman who manipulates the surrounding people into doing her bidding. She is in desperate need of attention and if she doesn’t get it, her personality completely collapses.
Parenthood
Theresa and Alan are unfit to be parents after their baby dies from their shortcomings. In Pink, Lucy is mourning the death of her nanny who was like a mother to her. While growing up, Lucy was raised and taken care of by Nellie who was a nanny hired by Lucy’s parents. Her parents were busy people disinterested in playing parents for their child. In Tornado, Mandy has eagerly been trying to get pregnant to no avail. She desperately wants to be a parent even after she’s found to be infertile. She attempts to con a client of their unborn baby and later unsuccessfully tries to kidnap a child.
Racial Divide
The Crackwalker is set in Kingston, Ontario, a town that has long been plagued with racial tensions that have led to minority individuals being marginalized and segregated. In Pink, Lucy mourns the death of Nellie, who was shot and killed in a protest against apartheid rule. Despite Lucy being a white girl, she is passionate about her dislike for the apartheid power. During Nellie’s funeral, Lucy heavily criticizes the segregation system set up during the apartheid regime.
