Some labour and activities have existed since the beginning of human organization. One of them is midwifery. The assistance of a female individual during the birth of a child became an ordinary practice for several centuries. Yet, the professionalization of obstetrics replaced midwives with nurses, who assist the doctor during the birth. However, in a country as extensive as the United States, it is necessary to have a plethora of hospitals the supply the demand for obstetric services. Multiple regions of the country do not have enough medical coverage, exposing pregnant women to poor labor conditions. Despite the necessity of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) within America, thirteen of the fifty states do not recognize CPM licenses as valid. It resulted in a criminal charge against Elizabeth Catlin, accused of performing a professional activity illegally and negligently. Elaine Epstein portrays the aftermath of the judicial decision in Arrest the Midwife.
The director follows the fight by Catlin to prove her innocence and absence of guilt in the death of the baby during labor. The film captures the activism of Amish and Mennonite women who lack access to hospitals in their communities. The filmmaker inserts us in the background of those women, who usually had more than ten children, predominantly with the delivery by midwives and only resorting to hospitals in emergency cases. In those scenes, it is notable that the service requires trust from the pregnant women. Usually, it is a lifelong connection; the same professional delivers more than one baby from that family. It is a profound connection that grows beyond the task of a child’s birth. It is about caring for the mother and ensuring both the mother’s and the baby’s safety. In this sense, Epstein’s film rhymes thematically with Aftershock by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. Despite the central differences in their approaches, both documentaries explore the dangers of the final step of a pregnancy for minority and rural women. The final card even outlines how the obstetrical fatal incidents have increased in the last few years in the United States. It is not the fault of doctors and nurses, but of the health system, which focuses on profit rather than on caring for its patients.
Nevertheless, although it features a fascinating discussion topic, it is evident that the director is inexperienced as a filmmaker. In a sense, the premise feels far too stretched in the first place. Although there is an urgency to discuss policies focused on women’s birthing rights and access to services, Epstein drags out the development of her film. Arrest the Midwife is 80 minutes long, including the final credits, yet it feels much longer. The impression left as it ends is that the film is a documentary short amplified for the feature format. The director chooses to tell the story of three different women, all midwives with distinct educational degrees, who are all facing criminal investigation and/or charges. Hence, the film constantly shifts in point of view, attempting to follow their defense in the justice system, mainly in New York. Still, Rachel Shuman’s editing does not contextualize the women’s different backgrounds or meddle with each one’s events, confusing the audience.
In this sense, Elizabeth Catlin’s story has enough to communicate to the viewer, mainly because her case is the worst of the three. She might face forty years in jail if found guilty. We have a brutally dense and complex case that lacks information in the director’s skeleton. The filmmaker does not film enough to empathize with her, although we understand the problem in arresting a midwife due to the state’s complicated comprehension of the law. Ironically, Arrest the Midwife is a project that feels too long but overly undercooked. The story is there, but the chosen angles do not extract the most from this case. The urgency for this film grows as the tendency is for the Trump administration to suffocate even more the obstetrical rights. However, as a cinematographic project, it lacks a deeper awareness of what it intends to portray.
Ultimately, Arrest the Midwife has a fascinating thread, but lacks the structural tools to make it a success. Elaine Epstein attempts to document this case as an urgent portrayal of our times, but there is not enough material to fulfill her goal. It feels too long; at the same time, it feels too thin.
Arrest the Midwife most recently screened at DOC NYC.
Learn more about the film, including how to watch, at the official site for the title.
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