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Reviews
Future Baby (2016)
Timely and Sensitive, Blueprint for Taboo Documentary
More than five million humans born using in-vitro fertilization (IVF) are walking the earth, which suggests a tacit societal acceptance of using such medical technology to cure infertility. However, IVF is no longer the only reproductive technology out there, nor are its uses confined to curing infertility. With sperm and egg-cell banks, mitochondrial donations, surrogate mothers, improved genetic screening and rapid advances in DNA manipulation, what we understand by human reproduction is in flux.
A knee-jerk reaction to all this may be to either fully embrace or flatly reject this development, entrenched in some liberal or conservative ideology. Neither path is taken by Maria Arlamovsky, the author of the "Future Baby". Guided by curiosity and deeply felt human empathy, she presents us with interviews with numerous scientists, entrepreneurs, couples, egg donors and surrogates from (quite literally) around the world. It allows us to form a nuanced picture of where the reproductive technology is going and what it means to its creators and users.
The result is nothing short of amazing. All technical aspects are described in plain language and the calm, confident editing ensures that even the most emotional parts feel natural and candid. Despite the breadth of topics covered, it never feels rushed or confusing. There is no "infotainment" style animations or voice-over narration, and no detectable ideological bias.
Highlights include a double interview with egg donors, each of whom has a dramatically different perspective on the consequences of their actions, the interview with the inventor of the Pill, Carl Djerassi, whose ideas are quite provoking, but consistent and a segment, which details the relationship between a surrogate and her clients.
During the screening I thought it was a bit odd that the film almost never comes back to the same interviewees. In retrospect, it seems like a conscious decision that allows the film to cover more ground and it does not feel like we are missing much depth. There were no interviews with sperm donors and only one with a grown-up IVF child, which I found odd as well. In the Q&A session after the screening, the author explained that it was very difficult to get access to the donors and she was also more interested in the female side of the problem. As for the IVF children, the author kept the footage for another film focusing specifically on them - I am thrilled to watch it, when it comes out.
All in all, I cannot recommend this film enough. Attending the Q&A with the author only solidified my opinion of her as a sensitive, humble and professional filmmaker and I would love to see her other works, which sadly do not seem to be available on DVD. "Future Baby" is a blueprint on how to deal with complex and potentially controversial subjects.
Mercy (2016)
Tepid drama turns gripping home invasion.
Two pairs of brothers from different fathers convene at the family house to attend to their dying mother. Discussions on inheritance and euthanasia follow (or is it really euthanasia?), but we see little actual attending, as if the bed-ridden, half-conscious patient required no attention whatsoever. Hence, later in the movie, we share in the surprise of a home-invader, who finds out that the husband sleeps in the same room as his wife.
So little is explained about the conflict between the brothers, that it barely sets us up for one of the "surprise reveals" that riddle the script. A more confident story-teller would have let us figure that out solely on the basis of the fact that the men differ in the amount of facial hair. One of the brothers brings along a girlfriend so timid, I believed she's just an infatuated co-worker, who hoped to moved the relationship forward by tagging along. She's told to mind her own business and that's mostly what she does.
Home invasion follows. Gripping in its abruptness and competent in execution, it provides a respite from the shallow drama tedium. Unexpectedness of the times of death and their mundane quality is welcome. A two-perspective retelling of the events adds to the drama and the jump scares are earned.
Alas, with so much time spent on cryptic, intentionally obfuscated dialogue and so little on actual storytelling (flashbacks might have helped), the deaths lack an emotional impact. A great comedic potential stemming from the fact that a bunch of amateurs invade a house filled with grown men, remains sadly untapped as well, especially considering some scenes later in the movie sent the audience laughing. The duality of the cult as a second family and a competition to the actual, dysfunctional family is never explored either.
The sun sets and raises over an area so anonymous, it could be anywhere. This is in stark contrast to the house that feels surprisingly lived-in, almost to the point of telling more of the story than the dialogues. The cinematography is functional and the camera is (usually) in focus.
Credit-roll, trailer-bait burning grass that spells 'Mercy' recalls the hilarious hijinks of 'The Purge' invaders. It complements the main theme of the movie which seems to be 'avoiding direct communication' (especially with the audience). Incidentally, mercy is what you might need to enjoy this movie. Too bad no one would be invading your cinema to administer it to you.