Anne Zohra Berrached creates German drama about lesbian couple's road to motherhood
By David-Elijah Nahmod - Jan. 29, 2015
There are no computer generated effects, no action sequences and no suspense-filled cliffhangers.
Shot primarily with hand held cameras in documentary style, Two Mothers is bare bones cinema that focuses on its cast of characters and their interactions with each other.
Katja and Isabella, a comfortably middle-class lesbian couple in Stuttgart, Germany, want to become parents. This German film with English subtitles, originally titled Zwei Mütter, is an intense exploration of the trials and tribulations they encounters on their journey to become parents.
Early in the film the women are turned away from one fertility clinic after another. They're told point blank that the repeated denials are specifically due to the fact they're a same-sex couple.
"It's a legal grey area," the receptionist at one clinic tells them.
Eventually, they find a doctor willing to help them. Though his fees are astronomical, the women remain steadfast and determined to move forward.
Knowing they want a child, but not a father, the couple is willing to pay a man for his sperm. When they reach the point of needing a donor, they begin interviewing potential candidates and inquiring about their each man's medical history.
One gentleman seems like the perfect candidate, until, much to the couple’s astonishment, he tells them he will not be providing his sperm in a jar. He expects intercourse. Another man gets handsy with Isabella, who is to be the birth mother.
For this couple, the road to motherhood is a long and heart-wrenching one. The pressure mounts, causing tensions build between Katja and Issabella. But filmmaker Berrached never loses sight of how deeply these two women love each other and how important having a family is to them.
Two Mothers is a riveting film that reveals the lengths some same-sex parents endures in order to fulfill their dreams for family. Any gay or lesbian couple thinking of becoming parents would be strongly advised to watch.
David-Elijah Nahmod is a freelance writer based in San Francisco who follows entertainment trends.