FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
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 |