Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, violence in hybrid docu about real case in Mexico.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
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Where to Watch
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A Child of My Own
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Alejandra Marín Mendoza grabbed headlines and fascinated a nation when she was accused of kidnapping a newborn baby from a hospital in Mexico City in 2008, a story that forms the basis of A CHILD OF MY OWN. Her husband Arturo, and everyone else, thought she was pregnant, a sham she perpetuated for nine months. When she was arrested, she claimed the mother of the baby had given her permission to take an unwanted child. The film tells their story through reenactments, and also interviews the actual people involved, seeking a deeper understanding of what drove Alejandra to do what she did as well as to gain perspectives from psychologists, experts, and the judge in her case.
Is It Any Good?
The idea of using a hybrid documentary format, combining dramatizations with interviews, is a fascinating one for this story, but it introduces some problems too. A Child of My Own offers a reenactment of one person's experience of events, then picks apart that version of events in the second half of the film through interviews and analysis. In a way, it reverses how people in Mexico might have experienced the real event—hearing about it first as a crime and then discovering the intimate details. But starting with the dramatization ultimately conditions viewers to consider that side of the story as the more convincing one.
The reenactments rush some pieces that could bug viewers, like how Alejandra and Arturo managed to feed a newborn with no bottles or breast milk in sight, but it also offers some unexpected insights—for example, into the bonds that some female prisoners forge and the pressures women might feel in some cultures to procreate. The analysis of Alejandra's psychological state following multiple miscarriages offers an empathetic view. It's clear through behind-the-scenes takes included in the opening and closing of the film that the director became close with Alejandra and her husband to gain the necessary access to make this film. Whether that colored her view of the alleged crime or not is up to viewers to decide for themselves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whose side of the story they believe in A Child of My Own. Do you feel the film took sides in any way? Explain.
What did you think of the combination of documentary and reenactments? Was this an efficient, interesting, and fair way to tell this story, in your opinion?
How would you describe the "gender-based norms" for Mexican women described and portrayed in this film? Do men face similar pressures?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 13, 2026
- Cast : Ana Celeste , Luisa Guzmán , Alejandra Marín Mendoza
- Director : Maite Alberdi
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Family Stories ( Moms ) , History
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some language
- Last updated : August 16, 2026
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