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The Business of Being Born

Name: The Business of Being Born
Director: Abby Epstein
Released: 2008
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

9.0/10

Excellent

2008

Not Rated

Director

Abby Epstein

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary excels at deconstructing institutional authority and challenging traditional patriarchal medical models. It successfully reframes childbirth as a matter of bodily autonomy rather than a profit-driven industry. While the film provides a strong critique of Western hegemony and highlights diverse global traditions, it lacks specific focus on LGBTQ+ identities and individual disability ability to act. The narrative remains primarily centered on the physiological and systemic aspects of maternity. Ultimately, the film serves as a sophisticated social critique that challenges traditional power dynamics by prioritizing community-led care over centralized medical control.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Business of Being Born have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the biological and systemic aspects of maternity care but does not actively include non-traditional gender identities or same-sex relationships. It avoids harmful stereotypes.

How does The Business of Being Born portray gender?

Excellent

The documentary challenges traditional hierarchies by highlighting the shift from female-led community practices to male-dominated medical institutions. It emphasizes female control and autonomy against invasive medical practices.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Business of Being Born?

Good

A global perspective contrasts Western models with diverse, community-based traditions. The film showcases midwives and doulas from various ethnic backgrounds to critique the uniformity of American medicine.

How does The Business of Being Born represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative critiques the medical-industrial complex and the commodification of childbirth. It prioritizes decentralized, holistic approaches over the centralized authority of Western medicine.

Does The Business of Being Born include disability representation?

Fair

The film touches on how medical institutions pathologize physical realities but lacks sustained character arcs dedicated to neurodivergence or visible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Effectively challenges traditional patriarchal leadership models by centering female intuition and control.
Provides a global perspective by showcasing diverse ethnic birth attendants and traditions.
Offers a robust critique of the capitalist commodification of childbirth.

Limited or Absent

Lacks active inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional gender narratives.
Provides limited representation of neurodivergence or specific disability-led control.
Focuses more on systemic medical critique than on individual diverse lived experiences.

Official Synopsis

Birth: it's a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America

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