Other reviewers have already given pretty good descriptions of characters and plot of this gentle film. But I think more attention must be paid to the character of being a midwife in this story. Claire's role in life is to usher babies from life in the womb to life as a separate being, and to help parents make the transition to parenthood. I loved the little scene where a mother is in labor, and her husband is dutifully recording the event with his cell phone. But Clair invites the husband to give up his role as spectator, saying, "I need your help. Can you just hold your wife under her hips like this." And soon the baby is born, right into the arms of the waiting father. In the same way, Beatrice calls on Claire to be her midwife as she moves through the passage from life to death. But there are other transitions in the story: Claire's own impending move to a career outside the cocoon of her maternity clinic, perhaps including a new love in her life, and the journeys of her son and his lover as they also expect a child. Other than the delivery of babies, the other transitions are still in progress when the movie ends. I like that we are shown a slice of life, but the writer/director does not try to tie up all the "loose ends" that remain in Clair's life.
Review of The Midwife
