Details such as the way that, although Martha has retreated inside herself in the days after her daughter’s death, walling out the terrible sympathy of family and friends, her body betrays her. It’s a subject to which Mundruczó ( White God) and his writer and partner, Kata Wéber, have a personal connection, something that is evident in the deft balance between sensitivity of approach, and an unflinching eye for the banal but almost unbearable details. We hear about a woman’s rapidly progressing memory loss.It is not a spoiler to reveal that the film deals with neonatal death: its seismic impact on lives the impossibility of making sense of it, of anything, in the aftermath. People are cruel to Eva, many of whom believe that midwifery is a scam. Her mom gave birth to Elizabeth inside a shack, had to steal food to live and nearly lost Elizabeth because she was so weak. And when he and Martha split up, she pays him a lot of money to ensure that he never returns.Įlizabeth says that her father abandoned her mother just before she was born. We learn that Elizabeth never liked Sean because he isn’t an “intellectual.” She challenges his ability to provide for his family by insisting on paying for things like a new vehicle. After this repeats for several months with no end in sight, he and Martha decide to separate, hoping they can individually start over and move on. He gets frustrated with doctors for not giving him answers as to why Yvette died and grows cross with Martha for not being more passionate about seeking restitution. Sean tries desperately to reconnect with Martha so they can grieve together, but she responds with coldness. Elizabeth and Sean also both get upset with Martha when she states her desire to donate Yvette’s body to science.
(Elizabeth insinuates that if Martha had listened to her and had a hospital birth, Yvette would still be alive.) Elizabeth also insists that Martha isn’t mourning properly (a sentiment shared by Martha’s sister who states, “You need therapy”). Martha and Elizabeth get into several nasty fights about what should have happened with Yvette’s birth and what should be done about her burial. When the child is finally born, she quickly turns blue and passes away despite the efforts of the midwife and emergency responders. When Martha gives birth, she has to change positions several times because the midwife is unable to find a heartbeat. Eva is also supportive, reassuring Martha that she is capable of giving birth and doing everything she can to ensure a healthy delivery for both mother and child. He makes her laugh, tries to keep her calm and makes efforts to make her as comfortable as possible. While they may not always agree, they do understand that they can’t change what happened or alleviate their own pain by causing someone else’s.ĭespite what happens, Sean is supportive of Martha throughout the birthing process.
Eva did everything she could to deliver a healthy baby that night: It just didn’t happen.Ĭoming to terms with Yvette’s death and pulling herself out of the sorrow that she’s been stuck in also allows Martha to forgive her mother. She doesn’t want justice either, because she recognizes that it wasn’t the midwife’s fault. She doesn’t want compensation (like her family) because that would imply that she could be compensated. After struggling for months with the death of Yvette (her baby) Martha finally realizes that what she really wants-her daughter, alive-she can’t have.
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