MovieChat Forums > Then She Found Me (2008) Discussion > Miscarriage and IVF not realistically po...

Miscarriage and IVF not realistically portrayed

posted 15 years ago by eskimogeisha
2 replies | jump to latest

Considering April's obsession with having a baby (an obsession I completely understand), I thought the baby-related aspects of this movie could have been handled more realistically.

Firstly, the ultrasound showed a ridiculously advanced fetus. Then, even if we're to believe it was only a few weeks old, the resulting miscarriage (followed by a D&C) would still have been a painful, bloody, emotionally wrenching and profoundly sad experience. None of this was shown.

Secondly, IVF is a very involved process requiring weeks of injections and many clinic visits. It's an emotional rollercoaster, with women suffering stress levels similar to that of chemotherapy patients. I really didn't get that impression from what we saw. (Also, April's comment to her mother that if she made "one false move," she'd never talk to her again, was bitchy beyond belief - we're supposed to like this person?)

I don't understand why filmmakers don't do a little research before putting these things into movies. Another example: the "chair" in which April was sitting for the embryo transfer was all wrong. Where were the ski-boot-like stirrups to hold her legs and torso perfectly still for the delicate procedure?

[–] chuck-526 11 years ago

My interpretation was the filmmaker (i.e. Ms. Hunt) knew perfectly well the medical/pregnancy aspects were not realistically portrayed, but chose to do so anyway. Why? Because realistic portrayals would have taken much more time and added lots of complication, but the plot was already in danger of being overloaded.

The first response to the "simplify, simplify" mantra was apparently to seriously fudge the medical/pregnancy aspects ...and that was okay by me:-)

[–] MuchToBeGratefulFor 9 years ago

I think most people know that miscarriages are painful, bloody, emotionally wrenching experiences. They did show her crying after learning there was no heartbeat. I did not need to see scenes of a D&C to know that it happened.

April's comment to her mother was close on the heels of learning that her mother had lied to her and had kept her for an entire year before giving her up. Remember she asked, "are you capable of telling the truth?" At her best, Bernice would be the emotional rock that April needed while trying to get pregnant again. But she was warning her with the "one false move" comment that if Bernice went back to her lying ways, April was cutting the cord. I don't see it as bitchy as much as trying to protect herself again a woman who has shown herself to be a frequent liar.

You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi