Director's statement

I am the mother of two. Since my father was a physician specialized in intensive care, I gave birth in a hospital with an epidural without even questioning the possibility of doing otherwise. I’m among the majority of people who deeply trust medical professionals, fear pain, and believe that any therapeutic effort to reduce it should be considered an improvement for human condition.

Thus, meeting Marine, one of the characters of the film, proved a shock to my understanding of birth. Her persistence in questioning the existing medical system, which in turn led her to search for an alternative way of giving birth—more naturally and in harmony with her personal needs—inspired in me the need to know more about the practice of home birth.

Thanks to Marine, I met Marcy, her mid-wife, who gave me full access to the very protected and underground world of midwives practicing home birth in New York.

I chose three women who decided to give birth at home from differing individual motives and disparate social and emotional situations. First, I spent a lot of time with each of them, without filming, in order to gain their trust. Then, I filmed them almost daily during the last two months of their pregnancy, operating camera and sound alone in order to keep the relationship as intimate as possible.

Christine Tournadre