By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Imagine a world where children are fatherless in the procreative process. In the mockumentary ``The Baby Formula,'' a lesbian couple succeeds in conceiving children of its own genetic mix.
The film's notion of creating fake sperm from a woman's skin particle, however, isn't completely outlandish. ``Baby'' is a classic mix of fiction and reality.
``The science is actually accurate and was successful in tests with mice. The (actresses') pregnancy was real, too,'' Alison Reid, the veteran Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-director, told The Korea Times in a recent interview. The Canadian filmmaker has been touring the festival circuit with her feature film debut and was in town for the 11th International Women's Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS).
``Until recently, it has been impossible for gay couples to conceive of the idea of being able to combine their genetics and have their own biological children. That has always struck me as sad. When I read an article about some science that made it possible to create offspring from two female mice, it resonated with me, and inspired me to make this film,'' Reid said in a statement.
The director spoke with those involved with related research all over the world. ``For the purposes of the story, we have assumed that the science is further along than it is in real life, however the scientific explanations are accurate. This scientific backdrop becomes a pallet for a story that is ultimately about family, and the common ground facing us all despite our diversity,'' she said.
``Succubus,'' a short prequel to ``Baby'' screened at last year's IWFFIS, traced the efforts of the same two characters, Athena and Lileth, to have their own biological child. Interestingly enough, both actresses became pregnant ― happily married to men in real life, they conceived children in the traditional way. The film assumes that such lesbian mothers can only have daughters, and both actresses gave birth to the baby girls that appear in the movie.