Romeo Romeo 2012
Distributed by Good Docs
Produced by Lizzie Gottlieb, Eden Wurmfeld, Michael Young
Directed by Lizzie Gottlieb
DVD, color, 75 min.
College - General Adult
Assisted Reproduction, Family, Homosexuality
Date Entered: 07/25/2014
Reviewed by Justin Cronise, D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY and Genesee Community College, Batavia, NYRomeo Romeo is a heartfelt and heartwarming documentary of a dynamic married lesbian couple that decide they want to have a baby. Filmmaker Lizzie Gottlieb takes viewers on their emotional journey from beginning to end, through the unexpected fertility problems, anonymous sperm donors, and the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process, to the unlikely – yet ultimately successful – “turkey baster” technique collaborating with a gay male couple.
One of the strengths of this film is that it is well-edited but not censored, coming across on a very personal level, showing the stress, frustration, and strain on a relationship that fertility problems can cause. Even though the women appeared to have excellent medical care, the film shows how the medical interventions and IVF process are intense, expensive, and invasive – and not even a sure solution.
Fertility issues that affect millions of Americans are explored in this entertaining, engaging, and informative film. Romeo Romeo is recommended for general public libraries, general adult audiences, and will be of particular interest to LGBT-friendly groups.
(Note: contains frequent explicit language)