The Labour of Pain and Joy review: A revelatory and insightful look at childbirth practices
When was the first time you heard about labour pain? The lack of knowledge or even an awareness about one of the most life-affirming experiences of human nature is alarming. The first time I heard about it was when a teacher died due to labour complications; and the details were carefully kept hidden because I was a child, and there was mourning in silence. The new documentary The Labour of Pain and Joy, which premiered at Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival this year, affirms how the birth experience affects the whole life of women. It craves for more discussion and preparation. Intimate and revelatory, this is a deeply moving documentation. (Also read: Life and Other Problems review: A strangely moving doc on age-old questions about existence) The Labour of Pain and Joy premiered at Cph:Docx. Karolina Gröndahl, who shares credits for writing, shooting and directing this absorbing film, places the viewer right inside the delivery room in the opening scenes, where the midwife Kirsi is helping a woman in labour. The process is intense, and the …