To Kid or Not to Kid

It's unfussy and not particularly original, but effective and user friendly, the kind of film you could show your own mother if you decided not to have children.

It's rare that parents are asked why they have children.

This is interesting to me because I decided to not have children in a very deliberate way.

Candid and empathetic, the movie's segments can feel rushed and unfocused; yet they have a ragged intimacy that argues implicitly for an individual's right to choose, without interference or condemnation.

The film wanders a bit in that exploration, lacking a structure that might make it more effective in having the conversation, but there's value in broaching the topic.

A solid and watchable effort ... but the film could have benefited from having a wider scope of people interviewed and more introspection from the director/narrator.

Documentarian Maxine Trump's charming diary of deciding whether to have a baby does not shy from the most taboo of topics as she explores the cultural garbage that childless-by-choice women endure.

Overall the film might benefit from a tighter edit, but Maxine herself makes a good anchor and viewers facing the same situation will find her easy to relate to.

A thoughtful and insightful film.

To Kid or Not to Kid may have a tattered presentation, but it gives a sympathetic voice to the kind of thorny questions every woman faces.