I applaud this film for shedding light on this important and troubling phenomenon, but am concerned that it makes no mention of situations in which an elective abortion would not be morally nefarious (like, when a mother chooses to abort a pregnancy for reasons that have nothing to do with the fetus's presumed gender). The film's persistent use of the term "feticide" pretty obviously puts forward an anti-abortion stance. The phenomenon of gendercide should be resolved by championing a woman's reproductive autonomy that is free of cultural coercion and institutional sexism. If the movie truly seeks to advocate for an unfettered right to be born for every fetus that is conceived, as is heavily implied, then it should own up to it and explore the difficult ramifications of taking on such a position on a global level.
7 Reviews
A Very Hard Film to Watch, but SO Important!
HCTerra14 February 2014
I just want to say first that the other review that criticizes the film and says its "nothing new", that right there is a big part of the problem. Treating these things like run of the mill world issues is why we aren't doing more to help the situation. We prefer boys to girls in most of the world. There is gendercide going on right here in America, we just don't have to be so hands-on about it. If people can't learn to care about what is going on in other countries with sex selection and other gender related issues, how are we to get rid of gender preference here? Anyways, the film was very powerful. I appreciated the brutal honesty from people who had killed their infant daughters, or aborted their child because she was a girl. We have a tendency to think that the bad things happening around the world and in your own country are being committed by bad people living in the shadows. In reality, it is just average people who you would see as no more dangerous than the next person. We need to understand that the problem lies in the culture and society norms, not the individual person. That is a lot of what is shown here. What is actually happening, who is doing it and why, and what the results of their actions are over time.
It is a good film, but very difficult to watch, especially if gender issues hit close to home with you. Watch it anyways, it is too important to ignore because reality makes you uncomfortable.
It is a good film, but very difficult to watch, especially if gender issues hit close to home with you. Watch it anyways, it is too important to ignore because reality makes you uncomfortable.
You should see this one...
planktonrules7 June 2015
This documentary came out a few years ago, and generally I try to review movies around the time they debut. However, this is such an important and compelling film that I really think it's important that you see it if you get a chance and I feel it's important that I write about It's a Girl!.
The film is about a horrible problem in both India and China today-- the prevailing feeling that girls are a burden. However, why this is and how all this plays out is a bit different.
In India, babies are routinely killed by their families. We are not talking about a few hundred children, but millions. I was shocked at the start of the film as a woman admitted to killing all 8 of her babies because they were girls. The most shocking part about this is that she said all this with a smile on her face! Why?! Why would she and so many other mothers do this? Apparently, in this land, a family is traditionally considered blessed when they have a son, yet when they have a girl it is just a burden--another mouth to feed AND a girl who will need a huge dowry in the future to basically pay a man to take her. As a result of these attitudes, there also has been a proliferation of doctors who perform illegal ultrasounds--and if the fetus is a girl, it's aborted. A third common alternative is to just abandon the child to the streets--and orphanages are filled to bursting with girls!
The problem in China is a bit different. While the killing of children because of gender ('gendercide') is illegal in India (though practically never prosecuted), in China abortions are a governmental policy. While there are also social and cultural pressures to have boys just as in India, most families are only allowed one child--so they are ultra-careful and choose to keep fetuses that are boys. And, if it's a girl, it could mean that if they have the child, they won't be able to have a boy! So, children are also murdered or abandoned.
Both portions of the film are filled with horribly sad stories, such as women being murdered because they gave birth to girls, mothers going into hiding to prevent folks from killing their daughters as well as a group of women talking about and demonstrating how they murder their baby girls. All of this is emotionally draining to watch--and it's important you have some Kleenex handy and perhaps see it with someone.
As to the quality of the film, it's very well made and instead of preaching at the audience, it allows Indian and Chinese people to talk about their experiences. This is a great choice, as it makes the stories much more compelling and it comes off less as outsiders trying to tell these people how to act but instead shows folks within their cultures pushing for changes in attitudes and laws. My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, is that the narration sounds as if they show is geared more towards a younger audience-- but despite this, it still doesn't pull its punches and is a terrific film. Like many of the best documentaries, this one pushes for change and also makes an emotional connection with the viewer. I know that for me and my daughter, we often cried as we watched this touching movie.
The film is about a horrible problem in both India and China today-- the prevailing feeling that girls are a burden. However, why this is and how all this plays out is a bit different.
In India, babies are routinely killed by their families. We are not talking about a few hundred children, but millions. I was shocked at the start of the film as a woman admitted to killing all 8 of her babies because they were girls. The most shocking part about this is that she said all this with a smile on her face! Why?! Why would she and so many other mothers do this? Apparently, in this land, a family is traditionally considered blessed when they have a son, yet when they have a girl it is just a burden--another mouth to feed AND a girl who will need a huge dowry in the future to basically pay a man to take her. As a result of these attitudes, there also has been a proliferation of doctors who perform illegal ultrasounds--and if the fetus is a girl, it's aborted. A third common alternative is to just abandon the child to the streets--and orphanages are filled to bursting with girls!
The problem in China is a bit different. While the killing of children because of gender ('gendercide') is illegal in India (though practically never prosecuted), in China abortions are a governmental policy. While there are also social and cultural pressures to have boys just as in India, most families are only allowed one child--so they are ultra-careful and choose to keep fetuses that are boys. And, if it's a girl, it could mean that if they have the child, they won't be able to have a boy! So, children are also murdered or abandoned.
Both portions of the film are filled with horribly sad stories, such as women being murdered because they gave birth to girls, mothers going into hiding to prevent folks from killing their daughters as well as a group of women talking about and demonstrating how they murder their baby girls. All of this is emotionally draining to watch--and it's important you have some Kleenex handy and perhaps see it with someone.
As to the quality of the film, it's very well made and instead of preaching at the audience, it allows Indian and Chinese people to talk about their experiences. This is a great choice, as it makes the stories much more compelling and it comes off less as outsiders trying to tell these people how to act but instead shows folks within their cultures pushing for changes in attitudes and laws. My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, is that the narration sounds as if they show is geared more towards a younger audience-- but despite this, it still doesn't pull its punches and is a terrific film. Like many of the best documentaries, this one pushes for change and also makes an emotional connection with the viewer. I know that for me and my daughter, we often cried as we watched this touching movie.
Everyone should watch this film
marykaech23 January 2014
This film is very hard to watch, but it's necessary. We all need to know about this and then do something about it. Train your daughters and sons to grow up valuing all human life equally, and defend those who cannot defend themselves.
This film offers a balanced perspective into a very complicated issue. It shows that there are no clear "good guys" and "bad guys." It fights for the dignity of women without suggesting men are the source of the problem.
The cinematography is gorgeous, the interviews are meaningful, and the stories are ones you will never forget. I appreciated how the interviews included professionals in this field--researchers and activists--as well as everyday parents whose lives have been affected by China's one-child policy or an overarching view that females are less valuable than males.
A dear friend of mine is Indian, and she said she grew up with her father saying that girls are like a sixth finger: If you can afford for them to be surgically removed, that is great. Otherwise, they just hang there uselessly. I can't imagine growing up in a society that propagates that viewpoint. Thankfully, there are many grassroots organizations working to change this mindset in India, like Let Her Live and the Art for Change Foundation.
This film offers a balanced perspective into a very complicated issue. It shows that there are no clear "good guys" and "bad guys." It fights for the dignity of women without suggesting men are the source of the problem.
The cinematography is gorgeous, the interviews are meaningful, and the stories are ones you will never forget. I appreciated how the interviews included professionals in this field--researchers and activists--as well as everyday parents whose lives have been affected by China's one-child policy or an overarching view that females are less valuable than males.
A dear friend of mine is Indian, and she said she grew up with her father saying that girls are like a sixth finger: If you can afford for them to be surgically removed, that is great. Otherwise, they just hang there uselessly. I can't imagine growing up in a society that propagates that viewpoint. Thankfully, there are many grassroots organizations working to change this mindset in India, like Let Her Live and the Art for Change Foundation.
Watch this documentary! :)
huskerdude-7713114 May 2015
This film continues to raise awareness of this very important issue! How some people turn away from this issue and pretend it does not exist because of their ideology is wrong. Education on this issue is part of making a change and this documentary achieves that goal. I fully agree with another reviewers comments and I will reiterate some of what they said.
The other review was spot on when they said the following. "This film offers a balanced perspective into a very complicated issue. It shows that there are no clear "good guys" and "bad guys." It fights for the dignity of women without suggesting men are the source of the problem."
"The cinematography is gorgeous, the interviews are meaningful" and the stories are ones you will have a hard time forgetting.
"The interviews are professionals in this field--researchers and activists--as well as everyday parents whose lives have been affected by China's one-child policy or an overarching view that females are less valuable than males. This documentary focuses on what is actually happening, who is doing it and why, and what the results of their actions are over time." Very informative!!!
The other review was spot on when they said the following. "This film offers a balanced perspective into a very complicated issue. It shows that there are no clear "good guys" and "bad guys." It fights for the dignity of women without suggesting men are the source of the problem."
"The cinematography is gorgeous, the interviews are meaningful" and the stories are ones you will have a hard time forgetting.
"The interviews are professionals in this field--researchers and activists--as well as everyday parents whose lives have been affected by China's one-child policy or an overarching view that females are less valuable than males. This documentary focuses on what is actually happening, who is doing it and why, and what the results of their actions are over time." Very informative!!!
Nothing new
rhondasmit5 February 2014
This documentary is difficult to review, since while it is an important topic, it is presented in a incredibly oversimplified format, all made worse by the addition of awful drawings to 'tell' the story (as if one needed these graphic representations), 'experts' from various human rights organizations speechifying, and yet, they do NOT add anything new, nor do they suggest real solutions. Just because some man states that "women should be worth as much as a man", that doesn't actually change anything.
I laughed out loud when one of the 'experts' interviewed (a woman) seemed outraged that women were not treated as equal in "those societies", which of course makes me ask, just where on this planet women are treated and seen as equal? (It won't be more than a handful of places, so this morally superior stance just rubbed me the wrong way. I have lived in Germany and the US and can report first-hand that they are a far cry from gender equality there.)
About the only thing I realized from this film was that the women in India that aborted female fetuses or killed their infant girls shortly after birth were really doing their never- or new-born daughters a kindness; having to live and grow up in such a hateful society where all you are worth is your dowry and your uterus' ability to produce a male baby is hell. I ended up coming closer to condoning their 'solution' than what feels morally right and defensible.
The situation in China seemed even more absurd, if the film reported the truth, with families unwilling to have girls, but willing to kidnap them so their son can have a wife.
What complicates the issue is that I did not hear the words 'overpopulation' at all. China's "one-child" policy did not come out of a vacuum, nor was it instated out of spite; it was an attempt to control a runaway overpopulation crisis.
The tone of the film - this morally superior we should treat everyone as equally valuable humans just because - without suggesting real solutions to the underlying (and overwhelming) problems of poverty, starvation/food shortages, overpopulation, lack of education, pollution, and etc., and without even questioning whether one's cultural background and preferences should be imposed on others made me dislike the documentary and question the tone/intent.
I laughed out loud when one of the 'experts' interviewed (a woman) seemed outraged that women were not treated as equal in "those societies", which of course makes me ask, just where on this planet women are treated and seen as equal? (It won't be more than a handful of places, so this morally superior stance just rubbed me the wrong way. I have lived in Germany and the US and can report first-hand that they are a far cry from gender equality there.)
About the only thing I realized from this film was that the women in India that aborted female fetuses or killed their infant girls shortly after birth were really doing their never- or new-born daughters a kindness; having to live and grow up in such a hateful society where all you are worth is your dowry and your uterus' ability to produce a male baby is hell. I ended up coming closer to condoning their 'solution' than what feels morally right and defensible.
The situation in China seemed even more absurd, if the film reported the truth, with families unwilling to have girls, but willing to kidnap them so their son can have a wife.
What complicates the issue is that I did not hear the words 'overpopulation' at all. China's "one-child" policy did not come out of a vacuum, nor was it instated out of spite; it was an attempt to control a runaway overpopulation crisis.
The tone of the film - this morally superior we should treat everyone as equally valuable humans just because - without suggesting real solutions to the underlying (and overwhelming) problems of poverty, starvation/food shortages, overpopulation, lack of education, pollution, and etc., and without even questioning whether one's cultural background and preferences should be imposed on others made me dislike the documentary and question the tone/intent.
Female Empowerment Message is a Guise Concealing Insidious Anti-choice Message
oldnick1319 September 2014
While I appreciate that something needs to be done about the female infanticide and generally the status of women around the world (especially in South and East Asia), this movie does not advance the cause. The message of female empowerment is merely a guise concealing the insidious true anti-choice message. I had been looking forward to watching this documentary for some time, but didn't feel steeled enough emotionally for it. A few weeks back I pulled it up on Netflix, and didn't make it far before I realized something was off. The first clue came in the use of the term "feticide." This term has a long pedigree, but in recent years it has been used primarily for anti-choice legislation. If it were only this instant I could get beyond it, since they were just talking about infanticide and maybe it was just a regional Indian term. Then Dr. Puneet Bedi said "Infanticide was a very horrible, very terrible thing to live with for the rest of your life, so the medical profession provided an easy, kinder way of killing. AS IF KILLING BEFORE BIRTH SOMEHOW MADE IT KINDER." Then without sourcing, an animated story is told of unscrupulous doctors performing sex selective abortions on the down low. In the India portion there is a focus on prosecuting doctors who provide sex selective abortions. Once the film moves on to China, the government is vilified for encouraging abortion. It continues like this for the whole movie. There will be a few minutes of film from a social work prospective, and then the anti- abortion propaganda appears again. There is no discussion of reproductive rights as a means to empower women, even though a great number of studies have found this approach to be extremely effective. It wasn't until after I watched the film and was feeling a little disturbed (not from a sense of empathy, but from the feeling that I was deceived) that I decided to Google the film with the word "abortion," and discovered that the film was produced by Shadowline Films, which is a shell corp for Harvest Media Ministry, a producer of "pro-life" documentaries. There is an excellent Slate article explaining the film's anti-choice ties entitled "It's a Trick: Pro- choice groups love this movie. Its director worked for a pro-life ministry. How did that happen?" written by international human rights legal scholar Sital Kalantry .
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