''Marie'' is a 2020 short documentary film directed by

Sam Abbas Sam Abbas (Arabic language, Arabic: سام عباس; born 11 November 1993) is an Egyptian Americans, Egyptian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is noted for his artfully composed, poetic, and incident-light tableaus film sty ...

about labor during homebirths. The film was originally scheduled for an April 2020 theatrical window for Academy consideration; however, it premiered exclusively on IGTV August 10, 2020 due to the

COVID Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

cancellation of all theaters in New York City. Based on the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

' new rules to offset the COVID interruptions, ''Marie'' was eligible and running for a nomination.

Plot

An observation of labor during a home-birth.

Subjects

* Marie Brewer (Mother) * Daniel Bauer (Father) * Takiya S. Ballard (Midwife)

Filming

Abbas stated during a Columbia Global Centers panel that part of what he was going to be working on is a short documentary focusing only on labor during a homebirth making it very different from

Alia's Birth ''Alia's Birth'' is a 2021 independent drama film by Sam Abbas starring Poorna Jagannathan, Nikohl Boosheri, Maya Kazan, and Samuel H. Levine. Cast * Poorna Jagannathan as Jaime * Nikohl Boosheri as Tess * Maya Kazan as Jenna * Samuel H. Levine a ...

where he shows the delivery of a baby during a home-birth. Both projects where shot at the same time and with the same crew.

Reception

Alan Ng of ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' gave the film a 7 out of 10 and wrote, "If anything, ''Marie'' is an experience, a very real experience of the moments before life begins." Chris Buick of the London-based ''UK Film Review'', in their positive review, wrote, "Ultimately what Abbas wants to do is make us vicariously feel, if only an infinitesimal amount, some of what Marie feels. Abbas really tries to get across the ebbs and flows of the labour process, the uncensored discomfort, endurance and stamina involved with any birth, let alone one stretched out over two-and-a-half days, something very rarely depicted so vehemently in cinema."

References

External links

*
Profile
on

Mubi (streaming service) Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...

''MARIE''
on'' IGTV''
''Marie (2020) by Sam Abbas''
on''

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

'' {{Sam Abbas, state=collapsed 2020 films 2020 short documentary films American short documentary films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films English-language short documentary films