Netflix releases documentary about baby abduction in Mexico City
Netflix has released the 96-minute Chilean-Mexican documentary “A Child of My Own” (Un Hijo Propio / A Child of My Own), directed by Maite Alberdi. The film tells the story of events that took place in Mexico City in 2009 and of Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza, who pretended to be pregnant for several months and later abducted a newborn child to sustain the deception.
As Mexico News Daily reports, Marín spent more than 13 years in Santa Martha Acatitla prison. The film is not limited to describing the crime, but examines the personal, family and social circumstances connected to the events.
Reenactments and testimonies
The film combines dramatized reenactments with real testimonies from participants in the story. In the reenactments, Alejandra is played by Ana Celeste Montalvo, while her husband Arturo Calderón Gamiño is played by Armando Espitia.
The first part of the film is structured as a fictional drama and recreates the events from the protagonist’s perspective. Later, Marín herself, her husband, Judge Taíssia Cruz Parcero and Mayra Navarro, the mother of the abducted child, appear on screen.
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The theme of motherhood
According to the account presented in the film, Alejandra experienced several miscarriages, concealed another pregnancy loss and continued pretending that she was expecting a child. She gained weight, used fake ultrasound images from her workplace and organized a celebration for the forthcoming birth of the child.
In an interview with Marie Claire, Alberdi explained that she sought to explore not only the course of events, but also the personal, family and social context of the protagonist’s decisions. The film also raises the issue of social pressure on women regarding motherhood and the lack of psychological support after pregnancy loss.
The director, nominated for an Oscar for the films “The Mole Agent” and “The Eternal Memory,” told the BBC that Marín committed a crime and had to be punished, but also called her a victim of the system and her own family.
