Critical Mass

From Melissa Anderson's short review of Mother And Child in the LA Weekly:

Mother and Child is a compassionate, multithreaded tale about the lives of everyday women. Driven by the strength of the performances, Garcia's latest takes potentially banal subjects — what defines "family," biological parents versus those who adopt — and transforms them into something powerful. The film focuses on three women [....] In a film with several graceful touches — Mother and Child stands out for its color-blind casting and the casualness of its interracial relationships — Garcia's strenuous avoidance of another reproductive choice disappoints all the more. None of the pregnant women, regardless of age or financial security, discusses abortion. The sanctity of the titular connection is real, as are the characters Garcia creates. But in not addressing an option that these women surely must have grappled with, Garcia's laudable film stops short of being great.

So Anderson doesn't complain about what the film is, but what it isn't. I haven't seen it, but a film about women having babies doesn't also have to be about them considering abortions. Does Anderson figure with three women at least one should consider the issue?

Filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia created the characters, and he decided what would be important to them. Apparently Melissa Anderson thinks she understands them better.