New independent movie, Documentary, Women Discuss Later Pregnancy, Motherhood and/or Career
AXS ENTERTAINMENT / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / MOVIES
October 10, 2015
Rating:
“Pushing motherhood” explores today’s women’s right to choose if or when to become mothers. In an age when both men and women choose to strive for productive careers expressing themselves in early adulthood, the territory of marriage and the commitment of procreation ever increasingly takes a back seat. Why marriage? Is it primarily for companionship – identity completion… “you complete me”? Women today are still struggling for equality in all areas of our patriarchal society, and while it is widely known women are the best at multitasking, becoming a mother later in life often poses many complications.
‘In the new documentary, ‘Pushing Motherhood”, we witness the lives of two professional women, Sybil Azur (Co-director, Executive Producer) and Linda Cevallos-French (Co-director, Executive Producer), on their journey towards and through making a family later in life. Both Sybil and Linda have had full successful careers as dancers, actors, producers, directors; and, yes, have lovely marriages to compassionate, supportive and understanding husbands. They have “had it all”.. until now. The ticking clock of the reproductive window has begun to chime its final hours. Both women are still within the mid to late age range for having a child so why would there be any complications in two otherwise healthy thriving women? The ladies admit they didn’t give it much thought early on either. In “Pushing Motherhood” we all get an extremely moving and extraordinarily candid view on why having children early on, if you plan to have children, may be a better choice.
This is not only true of women, but of the men as well. There is a reason why sexuality has its most urgent drive in our teens and twenties. Even though the traditional advice from mature adults to the younger adults is to wait; “Go out and live your life first”. We see in this revealing chronicle towards giving birth, the many considerations to the contrary. We also see the residual suffering and pain of both partners in anxious nightmares -their painful agony of regret -with each unsuccessful attempt towards pregnancy.
Watching the fathers’ grief is eye-opening. Their connection is not only spiritual and emotional, but obviously biological; as one father put it to the bad news of his embryo not growing; ” It’s like a death being mourned of the baby we never had”. The urge to get married and have children is so powerful. We’re hardwired, it seems, to keep the human species abundant, “Go forth be fruitful and fill the earth”. Is that what marriage is about? While we watch one husband’s reaction to the fate of the couple, it’s interesting to notice the wife carefully monitoring , welcoming in a sense, the husband’s responses of shared loss. This husband’s reaction is almost childlike and motherly at the same time. As all-the-while he cares for his spouse with fatherly compassionate and boyish wonder. Both giving each other loving support to the hopeful nesting process. Amazing to witness. Also noted is how the attending physicians’ availability and the scientific community’s progress to assist the hopeful parents is displayed so beautifully, encouragingly, and hope-filled.
While exploring with Sybil and Linda in great detail their right of choosing later pregnancy, we’re granted insight into other women’s experiences with either late motherhood, the decision not to have children, or the natural inability to reproduce. For many women the decision not to be mothers allows them to live full personal, professional, and self- exploitative lives while often sharing their would be parental nature in other creative and productive ways.
When you hear how many women do not regret being childless for whatever reason and you look at the women who for whatever reason find themselves pregnant and unprepared for motherhood, then the present day anomalies of unions and marriages as pertains to child rearing, may be a natural progressive way of accommodating freedom for some, evolution for others, and parenting for all who choose; as humankind continues to evolve.
Beautifully shot and edited. The score is caring and supportive-lending within its melodies, grace to comfort understanding.
“Pushing Motherhood” while stunningly sobering, is life affirming and evolutionary refreshing. Now available on DVD & VOD
Rated: PG (obvious adult issues)
