Midwife (2013)

MIDWIFE follows Minnesota home birth midwife, Sarah Biermeier (of Geneabirth), during her first year as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). The documentary quietly shows the life of a home birth midwife, from prenatals, to births, to postpartums, while also examining what the birth environment looks like in states where home birth midwifery is not legal, and families are faced with fewer birth options. The film has an excellent balance of a clear, strong political message and deep, soulful (but not sentimentalized) view of physiologic birth. Twenty-two states do not allow CPMs to attend home births. If a midwife chooses to practice anyway, they are faced with the possibility of arrest. In an act that should be simple, giving birth has become a human rights issue and a political event. MIDWIFE shows the compassion and beauty that begin with birth, and encourages viewers to explore their options, and with whom they choose to attend their births.