Baby Movie Chinese ReviewReview: “Baby” Shows the Aftermath of Chinese Harsh Policy

China has applied a one-child policy since the late ’70s to control its booming population. The country which is still ruled under the Communist Party strictly prohibit its citizen to raise more than one child per family in order to maintain its size. Sadly, this policy took a toll on the children welfare, as parents who gave birth to sickly and handicapped children chose to give them up to foster care. This phenomenon caught the attention of one Chinese director named Liu Jie who turned it into a screenplay for a movie titled “Baby”. “Baby” was starred by a popular Chinese actress named Yang Mi who played the role of Meng Jiang, an 18-year-old foster child who tried her best to save the lives of babies who bore the same faith as her. Meng Jiang, who was taken care of by an old lady since she was two, refused to move out of her parent’s house since she has become too attached to this family. The Chinese foster care institution has applied a rule which said every foster child who has reached 18-year-old must move out of their foster parent’s house, either by applying for a stable job or getting married. Meng Jiang who suffered a genetic disorder since she was a baby found it hard to find a job. As she suffered to make ends meet, she finally secured a position as a janitor in a hospital.

Baby Movie Chinese ReviewWhile working there, she eavesdropped a father whose baby was born with the same heart condition as her. Sadly, the baby’s father refused to operate his child since he got pretty pessimistic about her future. Upon hearing this, Meng Jiang got furious and did as best as she could to save the baby. Assisted by her best friend who is also a foster child, Meng Jia was willing to risk anything to prevent the baby to get abandoned by her parents. The heart-wrenching movie showed the harsh life of the Chinese family as they struggled to adhere to the government’s policy while keeping their humanity intact. As a viewer who grew up outside of China, we were amazed at how many Chinese citizens turned a blind’s eye while a baby’s life is in danger. They were more afraid of breaking the law, rather than saving a human’s life. Being born with diseases became a burden, as no one wanted to hire them or take care of them. This broke our hearts and “Baby” showcased only a glimpse of this inhumanity. The film was selected to be screened on Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year. “Baby” is sure a movie to watch if you want to find out how policies affect citizens and their daily lives.