Beyond Belief

I find it interesting that the further I stray from infertility- or baby-related topics, the fewer comments I get. I hope this isn't a trend. To further test this theory, this post is about movies.

The other day I watched Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. If you look at the poster you'll see the tag line is "Where hope survives." While this is meant to be both mysterious and intriguing, its actually prophetic. [If you haven't seen this movie and you plan on it, I suggest you stop reading, spoiler alert.] You see, hope survives in the form of a child. A child that is conceived on the ONE NIGHT that the two main characters spend together before one of them dies. This is the same thing that ruined Cold Mountain for me. I realize it helps to put salve on the wound that is inflicted on us when one of the beloved main characters doesn't survive to the credits, but does anyone really believe this is the way things work? Even in times of war? Or am I just bitter and can't suspend my hard-earned reproductive knowledge for the two hours required to watch a movie?

Otherwise, I thought they were both decent movies. There is an especially poignant moment in Borders where Angelina's character is driving through the Ethiopian desert on a truck bringing food supplies to a refugee camp when she spots a baby sitting by itself in the sand being approached by a vulture. She demands the truck stop so she can shoo the bird away and scoops the child up in her arms, saving its life. Spending time in the camps in Cambodia and Ethiopia during the filming of this movie obviously had such a profound effect on her that she adopted children from both countries in real life. You gotta respect that.

And, let's face it, you can't go far wrong with Jude Law and Clive Owen on screen.