Maite Alberdi, who has already had two documentary features nominated for Academy Awards this decade, is back with another unique nonfiction film. A Child of My Own tells the story of a hospital worker who faked her pregnancy and stole a newborn from the maternity ward to pass off as her own. This woman, Eleonor “Ale” Alejandra Marín Mendoza, gives her side of the case in voiceover as her account is depicted in dramatized fashion with actors and a candy-colored visual scheme. Normally, this level of “reenactment” would turn me off. The performances and production design held my attention, however, even as I wondered if the documentary was going anywhere more interesting than a literal representation.
About halfway into A Child of My Own, the film becomes more conventional, with talking head interviews and footage of the real Mendoza in her present life as she prepares to leave prison (with occasional dramatizations still sprinkled in). This section unveils at least one big twist, though it’s not a concrete rejection of what we’ve heard in the first half. Psychology, belief, and memory are involved as much as truth and lies. Audiences may be split on what they think of Mendoza in the end. The thing about documentaries where the truth is uncertain is that there’s less room for empathy. You can’t be sure of the shoes you’re meant to walk in. So it comes down to whether you sympathize with the subject.
I have watched the ending of A Child of My Own a few times and still haven’t decided what I think of the real Mendoza. I like the portrayed version in the first half of the film a lot, and it may take another full viewing to sync the two up enough to even sympathize with the genuine — or actual, at least — version. As for the film, I’m also not completely decided on whether I like it or love it. I also might grow to dislike it the more I think about its story. But I can’t deny its originality in form and aesthetic, which engaged me unlike anything else I’ve seen this year. Alberdi continues to make singular nonfiction films, and while I haven’t enjoyed them all as much as the Oscars have, I definitely appreciate her creative efforts in this space.