‘Baby/Girls’ Review: Doc Paints a Bleak but Judgment-Free Portrait of Teenage Motherhood in Contemporary Arkansas
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Premiering at SXSW, the documentary from directors Alyse Walsh and Jackie Jesko profiles several young mothers who spend time at a charitable Christian group home.
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Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment The joys and challenges — but mostly the challenges — of young motherhood are explored in Baby/Girls , a sympathetic if conventionally constructed documentary co-directed by Alyse Walsh and Jackie Jesko and premiering at SXSW this year. Revolving around a bevy of white teenage women who all spend some time at Compassion House in Springdale, Arkansas, a charitable Christian group home that helps troubled kids get to grips with parenting, the film unpacks the sadly cyclical nature of teen pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, the teens we meet are all daughters of teenage mothers. In addition, it’s clear that patterns of addiction, negligence and vulnerability to sexual abuse will probably keep recurring in these families, along with mental health issues, passed down through generations like hand-stitched heritage quilts of misery. Related Stories Movies Danielle Lauder Launches Film Outfit Under Act 4 Artists Banner Movies How Director Will Ropp Shot His SXSW High School Comedy 'Brian' in Only 18 Days Baby/Girls The Bottom Line Sympathetic, though dispiriting. Venue: SXSW Film Festival (Documentary Spotlight) Directors: Alyse Walsh, Jackie Jesko 1 hour 35 minutes Directors Walsh (TV series Home ) and Jesko ( Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything ) started filming after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the constitutional right to abortion and enabled Arkansas to completely ban terminations, making this feel like an especially timely choice of subject. Interestingly, as it turns out, that ruling has not resulted in the huge uptick in unwanted pregnancies round these parts that some expected. To summarize one interviewee who works at Compassion House, anti-abortion beliefs are pretty much already well baked-in by now in areas like this aft...
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