Mothers 2012
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Producer n/a
Directed by XU Huijing
DVD , color, 68 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Birth Control, Communism, Contraception, Reproductive Rights
Date Entered: 07/18/2014
Reviewed by Sandy Costanza D’Youville College, Buffalo, NYIn Communist China there remains today a one-child policy as a means of controlling the population. Enacted in 1979 this law restricts the free reproduction rights of women. There are exceptions to the law and the enforcement regulations depend on where you live.
Mothers examines a small, rural town in China where women are harassed, stalked, threatened and required by law to be permanently sterilized. In addition to the women themselves the government officials who must enforce the law are also harassed and threatened with keeping their jobs by maintaining a sterilization quota. The predicament from both sides seems sad. Those who want more children are persecuted by workers who support the law by means of survival.
I recommend this film with reservations. The content is definitely worthy of viewing. The culture, scenery and way of life are interesting and educational however there are areas of the film where the subtitles are displayed too rapidly to follow both the conversation and the film.