A group of women living in Arkansas struggle with the fact that their postpartum experiences have been troublesome. They have struggled to find the right healthcare, their mental health is on the fritz, and with a seemingly endless number of other things on their plate, there’s no end in sight. Through counseling and this documentary, Giving Birth in America: Arkansas, these women stand up to the healthcare system and make sure that their babies and they get the attention that they deserve.
What initially appeared to be a documentary about the mental and emotional struggles of women during and post pregnancy quickly turned into something else entirely. Giving Birth in America: Arkansas quickly becomes a political and social commentary about how African-American women have it more difficult than other women. There’s no way to avoid talking about race in regard to this film, because that’s what Director Nicole Mackinlay Hahn focuses on more than anything else throughout the course of her documentary.
The film begins with a white woman expressing her experiences with pregnancy and how it has affected her life. Right after her portion of the film ends we transition to a group of African-American women who have seemed to face similar struggles as our introductory interviewee. However, this portion of the film is presented in an entirely different light. Everyone on screen speaks about how one group has a different experience than everyone else, and Giving Birth in America: Arkansas becomes polarizing as a result. I wish that I could say that their testimonies were somehow groundbreaking, and that somehow I was drawn into this film by its use of drama and emotion–but I was really turned off by many of the things that this group had to say.
Giving Birth in America: Arkansas seems to try and reach a variety of viewers by incorporating interviewees from different walks of life–but the film becomes one sided. The documentary is ultimately broken up into two stories–and they sort of conflict with one another. This short film only lasts about twenty minutes, and the amount of times that it steps on itself is uncanny. Time and time again individuals on screen throughout the course of Giving Birth in America: Arkansas divide viewers, pits them against one another, and hinders its own potential. At the heart of Giving Birth in America: Arkansas I believe there is a just cause, a true purpose to what is being said. However, it so quickly transitions to a racially driven social commentary that it becomes difficult to appreciate. I don’t love being told how to think–and there are moments throughout Giving Birth in America: Arkansas that lean too heavily into this.
I believe that Giving Birth in America: Arkansas had the potential to appeal to a greater audience, to reach out to a wide range of individuals and allow them to see the film’s point of view. The subtle aggressiveness and the racially driven social commentary are a massive turn off, however–and that causes the film to struggle in a number of ways. Giving Birth in America: Arkansas constantly steps on its own toes–and by the end of the film I was ready to move on, never to think about it again.
Directed by Nicole Mackinlay Hahn.
Starring Wensie Woodard, Ashleigh Smith, Tynesha Ivory, Sarita Hendrix, Alexis Jackson, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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