health
A Child of My Own review
Candy-coloured recreations of one woman’s pregnancy unravel as dark truths are revealed in Maite Alberdi’s intimate docudrama
TL;DR
- Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza (Ale) faked a pregnancy after multiple miscarriages.
- She arranged to take a baby from Mayra, a single mother intending to abort her pregnancy.
- Ale convinced her husband and his family of the pregnancy through various means, including gaining weight.
- Her desperation may have led to a pseudo-pregnancy, with a doctor even appearing to hear a heartbeat.
- After taking the baby, Ale was arrested and is serving a 13-year prison sentence for child kidnapping.
- The film explores the veracity of Ale's story and her claims of an adoption arrangement.
- The actual Mayra denies Ale's version, calling it total fiction.
- The film highlights societal and biological pressures on women and explores themes of desperation and self-knowledge.