Super Mamika

November 17, 2010 11:06 PM

"A few years ago, French photographer Sacha Goldberger found his 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika feeling lonely and depressed. To cheer her up, he suggested that they shoot a series of outrageous photographs (en français, but I'm sure you can figure it out) in unusual costumes, poses, and locations. Grandma reluctantly agreed, but once they got rolling, she couldn't take the smile off her face."
posted by ocherdraco (40 comments total)

Those photos are super fucking awesome, the whole story is incredible.
posted by mathowie at 11:10 PM on November 17, 2010

this is only the greatest thing ever.
posted by Avenger at 11:12 PM on November 17, 2010

MEET. THE. LADY.
posted by hermitosis at 11:15 PM on November 17, 2010 [5 favorites]

I think this whole thing is so fantastic. Thank you!
posted by bardophile at 11:15 PM on November 17, 2010

I believe I saw one in there where she is in blackface...
posted by parmanparman at 11:18 PM on November 17, 2010

Meet the lady indeed! MORE MAMIKA FOR YOU: 1, 2, 3.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:20 PM on November 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

parmanparman, not all the photos on Sacha Goldberger's website are of Mamika. That was an actual black person.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:21 PM on November 17, 2010 [2 favorites]

The treadmill photo is particularly clever. These are great.
posted by painquale at 11:25 PM on November 17, 2010

Grandma used to be a woman of action. She wore tights. She had big boobs, but a teeny-weeny bra. Her waist used to be twenty-four inches. Before she got so hunched over she could do way more than a hundred of everything, pushups, sit-ups, chinning... She had naturally curly hair. Now it's dry and fine and she's a little bit bald. She wears a babushka all the time and never takes her teeth out when I'm around or lets me see where she keeps them, though of course I know. She won't say how old she is. She says the books about her are all wrong, but, she says, that's her own fault. For a long while she lied about her age and other things, too.

She used to be on every search and rescue team all across these mountains. I think she might still be able to rescue people. Small ones.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:08 AM on November 18, 2010 [8 favorites]

"Awesome" is the only word that can describe this.

Call your grandparents today!
posted by bayani at 12:10 AM on November 18, 2010

I LOVE HER.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:23 AM on November 18, 2010

I have no idea why superheroes pretend to eat dogs, but that photo made me snort out loud for pretty much the first time on the internet. These are great.
posted by Hartster at 12:28 AM on November 18, 2010

I think of all the photo sets that have ever been posted to Metafilter, this is my favourite. The photos and backstory are fantastic.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:09 AM on November 18, 2010

She looks like the grandmother of Super Dave Osborne.
posted by bwg at 1:18 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

HURF DURF DACHSHUND EATER.
posted by benzenedream at 1:38 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

The pictures where she is flying are so good.
posted by Peztopiary at 2:23 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

This is beyond awesome.
posted by maxwelton at 2:25 AM on November 18, 2010

Way beyond awesome!
posted by DreamerFi at 2:40 AM on November 18, 2010

We must create committees to design new versions of the word "awesome" to describe this.
posted by absalom at 4:27 AM on November 18, 2010 [5 favorites]

This made me laugh. I love the expression on her face!
posted by Omnomnom at 4:32 AM on November 18, 2010

Okay, that kick-started my day with a grin. Love the brick-wall version of the witch-hit-the-tree, and the walking the dog/treadmill were funny.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 5:16 AM on November 18, 2010

Thanks so much for this big bowl of happy. Fantastic. Uberawesome.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:57 AM on November 18, 2010

Cannot stop smiling. Thank you!
posted by rtha at 6:10 AM on November 18, 2010

You see this, Stan Lee? This is your next great superhero, right here!
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:18 AM on November 18, 2010

Just incredible. That photo of her in the brick wall made me laugh. What a sense of humor. Thanks for posting this!
posted by Majorita at 6:20 AM on November 18, 2010

I love how when shes in bed with Superman, Batman is secretly hiding under the bed...
posted by jpdoane at 6:23 AM on November 18, 2010

Old people doing active things? Yay!
posted by General Tonic at 7:47 AM on November 18, 2010

I love clicking her butt.
posted by SPUTNIK at 8:10 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Love it!!
posted by amro at 8:14 AM on November 18, 2010

My real grandmother is dead, but luckily I've found a replacement.
posted by nomadicink at 8:57 AM on November 18, 2010

This is truly Awww-some (the power of CUTE combined with the unexpected crunch of AWESOME)
My grandmas would have done this in a heartbeat, rest their souls.
posted by djrock3k at 9:19 AM on November 18, 2010

What an amazing lady! I can't stop smiling. :-D
posted by dorkydancer at 9:23 AM on November 18, 2010

Sometimes I will have a random week day off and I will go to the gym, midmorning, when all the working stiffs have left and it's nothing but the old fogeys sadly, desperately clinging to their health and independence. I am bad person because I get impatient sometimes. (Granny, you've been on that weight machine for 20 minutes -- it doesn't even count as exercise if you don't put any weight on the pin.) Most days, I see nothing but long, silent faces, like the only reason they're exercising is because their doctor told them they had to. No one makes conversation or smiles and no one talks back when I say hello.

When I'm old, I'm going to show up at the gym in a cape, leotard, and a helmet. And that 40 year old doctor standing behind me impatiently can kiss my ass.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:02 AM on November 18, 2010 [4 favorites]

I favourited this so hard I sprained my index finger!
posted by Harald74 at 1:40 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

This is outstanding, thank you for posting it.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:27 PM on November 18, 2010

Before she was a super hero, she was the favorite Grandmother on MySpace. Many images on her profile there are hosted by Photobucket, and she's over her alloted bandwidth, but her MySpace galleries are still there. They may have the same images as in Sasha's gallery, but without the flash-heavy layout.

Sasha has also uploaded four Mamika the Agent clips to Daily Motion. Larger than the YouTube clips linked by ocherdraco upthread.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:13 PM on November 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

I recently deleted my account because I was only posting lame comments whilst inebriated. Then this post turns up so I bought a new account so I could favorite ;)
posted by panaceanot at 2:10 PM on November 20, 2010

My own awesome internet famous grandma approves!
posted by Scram at 10:57 AM on November 21, 2010

i have to do something like this for portrait/headshot :D
posted by liza at 4:59 PM on November 21, 2010

for *my next* photo
posted by liza at 5:00 PM on November 21, 2010