Doula 2022

Deb, a basketball coach, is expecting her first child with Silvio, her artist partner. Their seasoned doula Penka stays with them as they prepare for the birth. During a guided meditation, Deb and Silvio discover Penka has died. At Penka’s funeral, they glimpse Penka’s only child, Sascha. While at the house to collect his mother’s things, Sascha recalls how his mother and he both became doulas, a memory that quietly shifts the atmosphere around the couple. Later, Silvio invites Sascha to stay, expressing that Deb should still be free to give birth at home if she wants. Deb is uneasy about sharing her space with a stranger, but she agrees.

With Silvio often away for work and Deb on maternity leave, the two spend a lot of time together. They accompany Deb to a prenatal appointment where she learns she’s having a boy. The doctor encourages a hospital delivery, but Sascha reassures her that choosing the birth her way is her right and that he will support her in whatever she decides. A video call from the house arrives, bringing news that Will will soon be living with them as well. Deb confronts Silvio about making such a big decision without consulting her, and she later tells her mother’s group that she’s afraid she’s already losing her own sense of personhood, worried that she’ll be an afterthought once the baby arrives and the son joins them.

After a birth-simulation led by Sascha, Silvio breaks down and reveals that Will almost died during his hospital birth. Deb is sympathetic, but remains firm that how she has the baby is her decision. Silvio grows annoyed at Sascha’s presence at the house and even briefly fires him while the three are at the park. It also comes out that Silvio will be leaving the following day to pick Will up despite Deb nearing her due date. Deb kicks him out of the house.

After drinking wine and throwing up, Deb admits to Sascha that she’s scared she won’t love her baby. She begins contractions, and goes to the hospital. Her doctor wants to give her Pitocin, but she ultimately decides to deliver at home. Silvio returns around the same time, feeling more clearheaded about his life after taking hallucinogenic mushrooms. Following the birth, the midwife notices Deb is bleeding and urges them to call for an ambulance. Deb wakes up at the hospital to Silvio holding their newborn daughter. While Deb is relieved to no longer be pregnant, Sascha tells them that the hardest part (i.e., being parents) has now begun.