ABOUT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE
Surrogate motherhood is prohibited in Sweden and many other countries, but in California the phenomenon is a growing industry.
In For Somebody Else, we meet three women who for varying reasons have chosen to carry and give birth to the other people’s children. Director Sven Blume follows them in daily life; before, during and after pregnancy, and allows them to formulate and reflect over their choices. The result is a thought-provoking and intimate documentary about the trials and risks, but also about the satisfaction and joy they experience.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
When I became a father myself a few years ago, my interest in issues related to children and parenting deepened, but also in how there is a division in our society between those who have children and those who don’t. Many of these issues are at the forefront of the debate on surrogacy, which is something that is banned in many parts of the world, including Sweden, but is also a large international industry where national borders are no major obstacle.
I began to follow the ongoing debate on surrogacy in my home country Sweden and an interesting image started to form in front of my eyes: here was a large market linked to involuntary childlessness, as well as a heated debate where strong voices from various political camps questioned the ethics of surrogacy altogether – often basing their arguments on women’s rights in some way or another. For me, the issue was existential and complex. Should we view surrogacy as an arrangement where the woman’s body is being used as an asset to respond to the demand of childless individuals? Or should it be viewed as a beautiful gift to be able to help? I realised that I knew nothing about who the surrogate mothers were, what they were thinking and how they were feeling. Tellingly, in the public debate on surrogacy the perspective of these women is absent, their voice rarely – if ever – heard.
Surrogacy can be a desperate way to get out of extreme poverty, probably a truthful image in some parts of the world. With this film, however, I turned to relatively stable families in the United States, to see what besides money drives women to choose to become a surrogate. Can their life choices say something about more complex power structures, longing or social pressures? For me, shifting my gaze to California was a way to approach a possible future in Europe where the opportunity to give birth to someone else’s child is part of our everyday lives.
As I got to know Cristal, Michelle and Deanna I was struck by the personal drama of their situations. The position of the surrogate mother is marked by conflict – she needs to navigate the conflicting interests of the receiving parents and those of her own family, who are invested in her choices. And all of this with someone else’s child inside her.
With For Somebody Else I want to make an intimate and dramatic film about what it is to carry someone’s child. A film that dares to trust the viewer’s own reflection and ask difficult questions without necessarily providing any ready-made answers. This is a documentary that takes the viewer into the living room and into the labour room. The film is an emotional journey – I hope it will be as exciting for audiences as it was for me to meet these remarkable women.
— Sven Blume, Director
PRESSKIT
SYNOPSIS
PRODUCTION INFO
Title: For Somebody Else
Genre: Documentary
Release year: 2020
Length: 79 min
CREDITS
Director: Sven Blume
Producer: Margarete Jangård (WG Film)
Cinematography: Sven Blume
Editor: Hanna Storby
Composer: Isabelle Engman
Sound Design: Martin Hennel
Color Grading: Rune Felix Holm
Editing Consultant: Niels Pagh Andersen
In Co-Production With: Film I Skåne - Lisa Nyed
With Support From: Swedish Film Institute – Juan Pablo Libossart, Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Konstnärsnämnden, Film Stockholm/Filmbasen – Anne-Marie Söhrman Fermelin and Ivana Lalovic, Transit Art Incubator, Stiftelsen Längmanska Kulturfonden
FESTIVALS
In selection: Göteborg Film Festival 2020 (in competition for Best Nordic Documentary)
BOOKING
If you’re interested in hosting the filmmakers for a speaking and screening event, please email jonas@doclounge.se
EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS
(Available in the U.S. and Canada)
The producers of FOR SOMEBODY ELSE are partnering with GOOD DOCS on educational distribution for this film. This documentary is now available for rentals, DVD and streaming sales to the following institutions:
Universities
Four-Year Colleges
High Schools
Community Colleges
Nonprofits / Community Groups
For-Profits / Corporations
Please visit this website for more details about buying or renting the film for use at an educational institution. Or you can CONTACT the GOOD DOCS team.
