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Doula
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Comedy about pregnancy, giving birth; sex, language.

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Doula
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What's the Story?
DOULA is set in Southern California, a place often caricatured as a capital of absurdly "enlightened" thinking, the perfect setting for a satirical look at mating and birthing habits of 40-something Americans. Deb (Troian Bellisario of Pretty Little Liars) coaches an octogenarian basketball team into the late months of her pregnancy. She's having the baby with Silvio (Arron Shiver, also the screenwriter), who got her pregnant three weeks after they met. He's pressing for an at-home birth because he nearly lost a son in a hospital setting. He hovers over Deb, judging her choices and lying to her rather than openly sharing with her. When their 90-something live-in doula dies during a guided meditation, without consulting Deb, Silvio invites the doula's seemingly spiritual son Sascha (Will Greenberg) to take over. Sascha quietly inserts himself into their lives, and it isn't clear if he's a good influence or a bad one, if he's helpful or a freeloader, a creep or legitimate, a buffoon or a sage.
Is It Any Good?
Doula's tone changes often, making it difficult to tell if the filmmakers are aiming for satire, comedy, or drama. Are they mocking catchphrases and woke-ness associated with at-home births and healthy pregnancies? Or are they mocking slavish adherence to belief in the "safety, sterility and security" of hospital births? Chris Pine, a producer on the film, plays an upbeat obstetrician, but he's set up as the epitome of narrow-minded establishment birthing. To hammer home his villainy, he refuses to divulge his C-section rate. Plus, he is given comically werewolfish hairy arms. Adding to the confusion, by story's end, he proves helpful.
Sometimes the action seems caught up in mockery. The buffet at a ritual cremation ceremony seems to offer nothing but different preparations of cabbage. The mourners, whose hands are dyed orange, speak of the nothingness of death while wearing wreaths on their heads, surely signaling that the filmmakers' eyeballs are rolling. Certain characters seem manipulative, even malevolent, but later turn wise and caring. Whatever the movie's intentions, one certainty is that Troian Bellisario is utterly convincing as a woman dealing with mood swings, self-doubt, and fears while also displaying courage, self-assurance, and forgiveness. In other words, she's beautifully human.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Deb and Silvio were debating whether to have their child at home or in a hospital. What issues concerned them?
Why was Deb following advice to avoid alcohol, drugs, and unpasteurized cheese during pregnancy? Why did she do an about-face on that? Do you think she had good reasons? Why, or why not?
What is a doula? Does the movie explain it?
Deb seems to get angry either when her boyfriend lies to her or when he tries to control her. Do you think she had good reasons for defending her right to make decisions?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 28, 2022
- Cast: Troian Bellisario , Arron Shiver , Will Greenberg
- Director: Cheryl Nichols
- Studio: Universal
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 105 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sexual content, drug use, language throughout and brief nudity
- Last updated: September 4, 2022
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