Film
Made in India
A documentary examining India's surrogacy industry through the eyes of the women who carry pregnancies for international clients. It's a careful, unflinching look at reproduction, economics, and bodily autonomy—how choice looks different depending on where you're born. Essential viewing for anyone grappling with the ethics of global medical tourism.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a documentary that follows the money and the moral questions behind a booming trade, and you are willing to sit with uncomfortable ethics rather than be handed a verdict.
Skip it if you want a tightly plotted story with one protagonist and a clear arc, since this is an issue-driven essay that jumps between personal accounts and wider debate.
What it asks of you: A patient, steady watch with little lightness: you follow arguments and listen to people across borders rather than being carried along by a plot.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Price of Sex2011
Documents human trafficking in Eastern Europe with unflinching intimacy, following survivors and investigators as they confront systemic exploitation. Another film about bodies, agency, and the brutal economics of desperation.
But Deeply disturbing content involving sexual violence. Long stretches can feel punishing rather than illuminating.
Babies2010
Observes four infants across different continents—Mongolia, Namibia, Tokyo, San Francisco—without narration. Beautiful counterpoint to *Made in India*: seeing reproduction from the child's perspective rather than the labor that surrounds it.
But Minimal context or argument. Some find the absence of guidance frustrating rather than meditative.
The Business of Being Born2008
Ricki Lake's documentary challenges medicalization of childbirth in America, examining how profit shapes reproductive care. Shares *Made in India*'s interest in how systems shape the intimate act of bearing children.
But Advocacy doc that occasionally privileges one perspective over nuance. Some medical claims are contentious.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Made in India
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Surrogate2013
Same transaction, opposite vantage point. One film shows the labor and loss; this one shows the longing and relief. Together they're a complete picture.
A quiet, scripted drama (not a doc) about a Canadian woman becoming a surrogate mother. Flips the geographic and class perspective: what does surrogacy look like from the rich world's side? What does she gain and lose?
But Fictional narrative may feel less urgent than documentary truth. Low-key and introspective rather than propulsive.
More like this (4)
India Cabaret1985
Anthropological documentary about dancers in Mumbai navigating sex work, family, and survival. Another portrait of Indian women whose labor—in this case physical performance—becomes international spectacle.
But Dated aesthetics and some uncomfortable framing by modern standards. Voyeuristic at moments.
Blood Diamond2006
Thriller about conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone that takes seriously the economic systems exploiting the Global South. Entertainment-driven but asks why extraction flows one direction.
But Conventional action film that simplifies complex politics. Sometimes feels more interested in spectacle than accountability.
Manufactured Landscapes2006
Edward Burtynsky's images of industrial manufacturing in China. Visual essay on globalization and human labor—how stuff gets made when labor is cheap and consequence is elsewhere.
But Wordless and formal. Contemplative rather than narrative; some find it remote or detached.
The Woman Who Left2016
Both examine what it costs a woman to serve others' needs. One is documentary evidence; this is an ache made visible. A completely different medium asking the same moral question.
Chantal Akerman's final film, a narrative feature about a woman in Manila returning after decades abroad. Not about surrogacy, but about a woman reclaiming her body and presence after being absent from her own life. Poetic, difficult, unforgettable.
But Experimental form, minimal plot, glacial pacing. Requires patience and willingness to sit with discomfort.
