This film sort of fell into my lap while I was channel surfing last night. When my boyfriend came into the room, I told him, "I'd like to see this, but I don't know that you'd have much interest in it, so I'll just tape it tomorrow and watch it later." He said fine, that we could watch one of our weekly taped programs.
Neither of us touched the remote control. The story of little man Nicholas was *that* captivating. It's also hard to watch at times, and makes you question your own beliefs in regards to where to draw the line with modern medicine as well as the lengths you would go to in order to save your child's life.
The child in this film, Nicholas, is not only afflicted with mysterious congenital issues the doctors can't identify, but the woman carrying him develops a life-threatening condition that requires him to be born roughly halfway through the gestation period or terminated. Some might argue that these developments could have been nature's way of saying, 'No, this child should not be born." Prolonging the lives of premature babies is a highly controversial subject. The child's life -- and quality of life -- isn't the only life affected, of course. Families with preemies (who so frequently become special needs children) struggle and frequently fall apart under the pressure. Not only is this film about the struggle to save a child who has seemingly every strike against him, but it is also about the struggle to save a relationship and a family. Anyone who tries to make the argument that same-sex marriages aren't really marriages should watch this film. These women are a team, every bit as much as any husband/wife team. Yes, they have the difficulties and struggles, but they are a team more dedicated to saving what they have than most of the heterosexual couples I know. I can't begin to count the number of people I know whose heterosexual marriages fell apart after the development of cataclysmic health issues.
Several times throughout this film, I found myself thinking, "I would not be able to do that." I so admire the director of this film for going so public with this very, very personal fight. Several times, I found myself thinking, "Is it fair to put this child through so much? Is it right?" I can't answer the questions about fairness or rightness. After all, I didn't live this situation. It wasn't my child or my relationship. What I will say is this: This film is every bit as joyous as it is wrenching. It's not so much a film to be watched as it is experienced. As I said, my boyfriend and I fully intended to turn away from this film and watch something else. The story, the way it was told, and the honesty with which it was told made turning away impossible.