The provocative short film If I Could Tell You follows the infertility journey of a woman named Abby on her quest to conceive and become a mother. She goes through a multitude of Western fertility treatments and when these prove unsuccessful she resorts to the black market of fertility options to make her dream a reality. The film accurately portrays the emotional struggles of infertility, especially how other people are always trying to offer their opinion regarding this very private matter (one of my favorite parts of the movie is when Avery Clyde (Abby) is discussing this and says what she’d like to do to these “supportive” onlookers). The movie wastes no time discussing the financial aspect of fertility treatments and the toll that it takes on couples. And you can see the character really struggling with the two paths in front of her: wanting to be a mother and wanting to move on with her life and no longer trying to conceive.
Despite the fact that she (Abby) and her husband have agreed to “stop trying”, we soon realize that she is taking matters into her own hands. This deception between the husband and wife is startling, however it could be compared to the deception that couples struggling with infertility experience on a daily basis. The journey to parenthood is so personal and private, that we often don’t discuss with others that we’re trying to get pregnant. As others around us conceive and have children it’s normal to keep our struggle to ourselves. However, the decision to keep things private does result in some sort of deception with those around us. Perhaps that is what is most striking about this film.
If I Could Tell You portrays the lying in the most unsuspecting of relationships, and does a wonderful job of keeping the conversation going regarding infertility treatments. As we continue to discuss and share our fertility journeys, I hope that we can continue to increase the support that these men and women need.
Misty M. Reed, Fertility Consultant & Coach
Want to connect on Facebook? Click here!