LITTLE MAN
Directed & Written by: Nicole Conn.
Produced by: Danny Jacobsen.
Camera: Joe Van Witsen, Brian Hoven, Theresa Sherman & KC Kaufman.
Edited by: Nicole Conn, Danny Jacobsen & Sean Present.
Music by: Mark Chait.
Released by: Jour de Fete.
Country of Origin: USA. 107 min. Not Rated.

Given less than a 0.00004% chance of survival, Nicholas, born 100 days prematurely, weighs one pound at his birth. His surrogate non-biological mother did not reveal to his parents her full medical history prior to the pregnancy. As a result, he is a still-developing fetus, strapped to monitors, feeding tubes and breathing apparatus. Although knowing there would be complications, one of his parents, Nicole Conn, the film's director, reneges on her agreement with her partner, Gwen Baba. She won’t allow the pregnancy to be terminated.

As Nicholas is in intensive care for 158 days, the couple lead separate lives; Nicole spends her days with her son, while Gwen holds down the fort with the couple's daughter. When Nicholas finally does leave the hospital, his health remains precarious. Gone are what Conn calls a "world of Sunday papers, Curious George, and rose pedal dreams." The hard work and perpetual toil that Gwen ruefully predicted has painfully come true. If Nicole is the sacrificing Madonna who acknowledges her own naiveté, Gwen comes across as narcissism personified. When her daughter asks her what she is doing, Gwen responds, "Sitting here wondering where my life went."

After endless IVs and feeding tubes, footage of the frail Nicholas becomes wrenching. The initial warning that this documentary contains graphic material may seem unnecessary at first, but proves to be not gratuitous. Fortunately for Conn, a filmmaker (Claire of the Moon), and philanthropist Baba, their insurance covers most of the cost of their "2.7 million dollar baby."

Given the subject matter, this new world of manufactured disability, as Nicole describes it, is often gripping and moving; when a new pair of glasses is put on the extremely nearsighted Nicholas, he immediately responds by reaching out to his older sister. Although incisively articulate, both Conn and Baba's continual commentary, repetitious interviews and on-camera confessions reiterate what is already obvious. We don't need Conn to confess her feelings toward her son; the moment she holds him for the first time says it all, and likewise for the camaraderie among Conn and Nicholas' nurses. As a result, the film drags by a good 15 minutes. Kent Turner
December 2, 2005