Mother Child

Mother Child (Andrea Testa 2019)

What a touching and thoroughly absorbing watch this was.  The camera is an observer and third person in various rooms within an Argentinian public hospital while young women are given the time and space to calmly talk and be heard amidst a whirl of making life changing, confusing decisions.  So often pregnancy and childbirth is dismissed as something to just ‘get on with’.   Women’s right to choose is increasingly being restricted, with decisions made about our bodies without a care or understanding for what being a woman is. This film gives a serious pause to examine what motherhood can really mean to different woman and their bodies, both to be pregnant and give birth but also what their lived experiences can be after.

The black and white, almost sepia colour seems to equalise the young women and we focus on them, never seeing the face of the caring, understanding medical staff.  As the women reveal more about themselves, the unwanted pregnancies, the unexpected but accepted pregnancies, the too many or too early pregnancies, we also hear about some chaotic lives that they will return to outside the safety of this space to talk.  Domestic abuse, rape, teenage sex, poverty and drug use are all heard with the same non-judgemental, fair and loving care.  We find out just enough to feel that we have heard these women’s voices but somehow manage to feel like a supportive shadow to the person who is offering them support, rather than a voyeur eavesdropping on highly personal and private discussions.

I really loved this film. It takes its subjects seriously and is a tribute to the work of the hospital staff offering love, attention and practical support to women most in need. Highly recommended.

Written by Denise Hobart