Resist the urge to dismiss, sight unseen, this documentary about childbirth in the U.S. as executive producer Ricki Lake's vanity project. Directed by documentarian Abby Epstein — whose own pregnancy shapes the film's dramatic conclusion — it's a serious and well-researched consideration of natural childbearing vs. hospital delivery that explores the larger social conditions and assumptions that shape women's choices.
Lake, the mother of two, became interested in the maternity industry after bearing her first child, a disappointing experience that left her feeling bulldozed by a medical system that treats pregnancy and labor as ticking time-bombs of potenti...
Released:
2008
Rated:
NR
Length:
87 mins