It’s complicated, right?

I had the pleasure of attending an evening of short films at the Rio Cinema in London recently. The complications referred to are motherhood – as a post-menopausal woman who never gave birth, I still find questions around why people have children fascinating.

The programme had two fiction and two documentary films. The first documentary, Harvest, was a personal journey by Sophia Seymour, as she embarked on the gruelling process of egg freezing without any clear decision to have children in the future. Whilst the film was the most beautifully shot of the four, I found it slightly frustrating – although we saw Sophia's emotional and practical difficulties, I was more interested in understanding the process which led her to make the decision to egg-freeze in the first place.

We only saw a short extract from the second documentary, What's Safe, What's Gross, What's Selfish and What's Stupid, as the full film is 70 minutes. This examines issues faced by the queer community around deciding to have a child, and the attendant practical issues – the difficulty of obtaining services from the NHS for example. The full film looked well worth seeking out for its sensitive handling of a complicated and emotive subject.

Both the fiction films packed an emotional punch. In Sweet Little Despair, Lynsey is a new mother looking after her six-month-old baby, whilst holding down her job in a care home. There's no high stakes drama here, just the relentless physicality of caring for a baby whilst permanently exhausted. It contains a gasp-out-loud moment of horror, as Lynsey does something she's done every day, but forgetting one single essential part. I was impressed by the economical story telling.

The highlight for me was Push, written and directed by Elly Condron. Filmed over several days when Elly was only a few weeks away from giving birth, it is both charming and thought provoking. She, or a version of her, is filling in time at home, waiting for the baby to come. 

She talks aloud to her sister, who we understand died some time previously, expressing doubts and unhappiness: emotions which pregnant women may find they're discouraged to share with the living. There are also explosive moments, and some unforgettable scenes. Not many films feature a naked, hugely pregnant woman sitting on the toilet trying to move her bowels – there are some things which aren't complicated!

Reviewed by Kate Johnstone, Associate Editor for Culture