It’s fleet, adaptive storytelling that addresses both the limitations caused by the lockdowns and the social upheaval that couldn’t be ignored.
It makes for a very grounded and realistic pregnancy drama that will especially ring true for women who carried babies to term during 2020’s worrisome global uncertainties.
Ringel is a strong-willed and compelling film presence, though her sometimes jarring penchant for makeup (in bed or in the bathtub) may just be a reflection of cultural norms more Hollywood than Latina.
Partly because of the restrictions, she’s in nearly every shot, but she’s buoyed by confident performances by those advising her pregnancy (Campbell as well as Marimar Vega) and some clients, Bethke looks a little too healthy to be sick with Covid. But it’s a kick to see Christy Carlson Romano playing a version of herself hiring the money-strapped Eva as a low-paid assistant.
Vanessa Angel does a solid job as a mother who worries about her own parenting legacy, yet one likely casualty of COVID’s intrusion is that they weren’t able to fully develop that relationship (The actor playing Eva’s father literally phones it in, reflecting their distant bond).
Dagerman, who previously directed Ringel’s script for “The Best People,” does what he can once they get to the hospital, where there was likely restrictions about film crews in a delivery room during the pandemic (moreover, he probably had to quit one type of direction for another Lamaze-style one).
Through it all, “Single Mother By Choice” delivers some hope at the end, after reflecting a shared reality that few other films have even attempted, let alone try to adapt to. The rise of the omicron variant makes the film’s debut on a streaming service all the more prescient.