The whole concept of surrogate mothers is not one that has been extensively dealt upon in cinema, and by no means with the realistic approach only a documentary can bring. Singer Chen Rotem and her husband Omer Yelman go even a step further in “Holding It In”, by turning the eye of the camera towards themselves, from the moment they decide on this project, all the way through its realization.
“Holding It In” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
As such, the documentary unfolds as a “trip”, or even better, as an odyssey, highlighting all the difficulties such a decision can bring, particularly since, despite their mild reactions, all the people around her are essentially judgemental of her choice. Her husband is always with a smile on his face, and trying to be supportive, but the fact that he does not exactly approve becomes obvious, something that weighs significantly on Chen’s mentality. Their friends, during a camping of sorts in a discussion over a fire, also seem to disapprove. Her mother-in-law does not seem to understand at all, eventually affecting her son also, while the fact that the couple who are to receive the baby want her to have a c-section piles up the tension. Even more so, when it becomes evident that she does not speak directly to her doctor, but through them. Even her two baby children seem perplexed by her choice, with one eventually stating that “children should be born, not bought”.
As such, the main question that inevitably arises is, “why does she do it?”. Particularly since she already has two children, and she is not exactly ignorant to the experience of being pregnant and giving birth. The eagerness of the couple who are to receive the baby could be perceived as the reason, but the question remains. Why is their happiness so important to her, especially since, as various people from her close environment wonder, she was never particularly close to them? Inevitably, even another question arises. Is the whole thing an ultimate act of altruism or an egoistical decision by someone who does not care of the impact such a decision can have to the people who love and are loved by her? Unfortunately, in what emerges as the biggest issue with the documentary, the answers are never given, and the fact that the very end gives a definite sense of satisfaction is definitely not enough.
At the same time, one can only applaud the courage of the couple to put themselves so intently out there, as much as the goal of presenting the whole procedure with “no punches pulled” precision, which is achieved to the fullest. The editing by Eyal Tsarfati emerges as one of the greatest traits in this effort, with the well adjusted timeline, the order of the scenes, and the relief some moments of Chen offering being ideal as a whole. The cinematography on the other hand, although it focuses on realism, becomes annoying after a fashion, as the constant, occasionally very intense close ups do not work at all after a point at time, even if at 1 hour, the documentary does not overextend its welcome in any way.
In the end, the taste “Holding It In” leaves is mixed. On the one hand, the informational purpose of the documentary is achieved to the fullest in technical terms, on the other hand the whys remain until the end.
