An observational and sometimes borderline poetic documentary, How to Have an American Baby, directed by Leslie Tai, follows the lives of Chinese women who have already given or plan to give birth in the United States in order for their children to have American citizenship. This deduction of American citizenship is purely an interpretation of the circumstances of the mothers present in the film. The film does not provide statistics or information on how many mothers go through this process, the common reasons for choosing to have American births, or any graphs or datasets to inform the viewer. Instead, Tai utilizes a series of vignettes, following an assortment of mothers, families, and people associated with the practice, who have given or plan to give birth to their children in the United States. The subjects followed in the film tell the story for Tai, a story of joy, heartbreak, financial gain, and community. Through How to Have an American Baby, Tai surfaces the underground movement of Chinese mothers having American babies to highlight themes of motherhood, statehood, and social connection.
Throughout the film, Tai follows an assortment of people involved with the process of American childbirth. The first group we meet is a community of Chinese mothers who are all staying at a maternity hotel together, awaiting childbirth. As the film focuses on this group, we begin to see the interests of each mother, subtly learning their reasons for this decision, the process from their perspectives, and a hint toward Tai’s style. Although the primary subjects of Tai’s film are the people involved, Tai continually, throughout this moment and the film as a whole, is interested in the scenery surrounding her subjects. Lingering shots of trees, water, and nature permeate the film, showing us the world surrounding these women. Not only does this provide a level of serenity and introspection into the viewing experience, it also provides a synopsis to Tai’s work: her interest in the landscape defined as “America.” What constitutes having an “American baby?” Is it the citizenship awarded to the children? Is it the landscape which the children are born into? These questions are thrust into the film during the pivotal moment when one of the mothers from the community gives birth to her child and Tai chooses to include the birth in its entirety. After much trial, she finally pushes out the baby, and although the genitalia of the mother are blurred, once the baby’s head is visible, the baby is not blurred. I believe Tai wants the audience to watch this sequence in order to see the reality of an American baby. Once the baby is born into the world, because of the society around them, they are marked as American. This moment also confronts the audience with the fact that, even with all the advancements in modern medicine, childbirth is still a terrifying and dangerous experience, highlighted by the passing of the child born in the room next to Tai’s subject.
Tai also includes the financial side of this process, following those who have been successfully selling this service in China, including a couple attempting to start their own maternity hotel in California, as well as the profitability of hospitals who upcharge the mothers paying with cash. The profit motive of American childbirth drives hospitals to continue even when, in some instances, the surrounding American community holds press conferences calling for this process to end. The focus on the workers in Beijing selling American childbirth is reminiscent of time-shares, where presentations shown in hotel conference rooms tell the benefits and costs of having an American baby. Another financial aspect, this time for the mothers, is their outings to stores like Target and Babies “R” Us to stock up on baby supplies, which they send back to China. From start to finish, the mothers who choose to have their children in America spend tens of thousands of dollars from hospital fees to travel fees; and even if their childbirth ends in the tragic loss of their child, they are still forced to pay off this debt. This circumstance occurs with another primary subject Tai focuses on throughout the film, a mother who had an American childbirth prior to the film, but her child died in the hospital after the birth. Tai allows the mother to tell her story to the audience and highlights the tragedies and heartbreak associated with the process of American childbirth. Now lumped with a sizable amount of debt, this grieving mother is forced to pay up.
How to Have an American Baby follows the lives of mothers who want to have their children in America for many different reasons, namely the American citizenship afforded to their child. Tai presents the film from the perspective of these mothers and the world in which they occupy, a world driven by financial gain and open secrets. Through her constant use of serene images of nature, Tai asks the audience: what is an American baby?
Author Biography
Zachary Eanes is an MA in Film Studies student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Zachary would like to thank his cat Liliana for always giving him the answers when he is lost.
