Vegas Baby

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

VEGAS BABY gives a voice to infertility and unveils the class disparity within a topic that is often clouded by judgment and stereotypes. Oscar-nominated director Amanda Micheli’s provocative and suspenseful documentary follows several aspiring parents who desperately want to have a baby but are struggling with infertility and the high cost of treatments. They place themselves in the hands of a Las Vegas fertility clinic that sponsors an annual contest offering a prize of a free round of in-vitro fertilization—with no guarantee of pregnancy. Contestants post video entries online telling their stories, counting on the votes of strangers to make their dreams of becoming parents true.

IVF can be cripplingly expensive and is rarely covered by insurance. So while exposing private pain online to win a contest is a brutal proposition, many infertile couples see this contest as a gamble worth taking.  Through Sher’s controversial contest, Micheli navigates the complexities of America’s burgeoning fertility industry and paints an intimate portrait of the many resilient couples determined to have a baby against all odds. With intimate access to diverse characters on an excruciating roller coaster, VEGAS BABY is a dramatic journey exploring a timely issue that affects someone in your family, your neighborhood, or your workplace, whether you know it or not.

• Running Time 77 minutes
• Director Amanda Micheli

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.