Birth: it's a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America. Focusing on New York City, the film reveals that there is much to distrust behind hospital doors and follows several couples who decide to give birth on their own terms. There is an ... (Full plot summary below)
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Birth: it's a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America. Focusing on New York City, the film reveals that there is much to distrust behind hospital doors and follows several couples who decide to give birth on their own terms. There is an unexpected turn when director Epstein not only discovers she is pregnant, but finds the life of her child on the line. Should birth be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potential medical emergency?
Leave your thoughts about The Business of Being Born.
| Sin MagazineAustin KennedyThis movie really made me realize how cold and impersonal the hospital births really are. If I ever had another kid (first I need to find someone to sleep with me again) I would make my significant other watch this movie. |
| TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghIt'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. |
| Film Journal InternationalHarvey S. KartenI sure left the theatre convinced: It's natural all the way for me. Jeeves, draw me a bath. |
| The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMore propaganda than cinema, and at an hour and a half, its exhaustiveness diminishes its impact. But Epstein anchors the film nicely with her own pregnancy, which occurs while the documentary is in production and comes to an unexpected conclusion before shooting ends. |
| New York Daily NewsJack MathewsPassionate, enlightening and unabashedly one-sided, Abby Epstein's documentary is not for everyone. But at the very least, it should be seen by every pregnant woman in America. |
| San Francisco ChronicleTamara StrausA powerful, frightening look at America's delivery room. |
| Filmcritic.comRachel Gordonan effective glimpse into the need for personal research, and a solid argument for making informed choices. |
| Chicago TribuneMaureen M. HartFormer talk show host Ricki Lake had her first baby in a hospital and came away with the need for a birth experience that was more empowering, with less medical intervention. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesNell Minow"The Business of Being Born" is messy and amateurish but heartfelt and compelling. |
| L.A. WeeklySam SweetEpstein's film is conveniently short on interviews with the millions of mothers who have had positive experiences delivering in hospitals. |
