Wilted

Ten to twenty percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriages. It is shockingly common, yet such taboo; people don’t talk about it and are supposed to pretend that it never happened. Miscarriages have affected my family personally and have inspired me to explore the topic deeper. A very vivid memory from my childhood was watching as my older cousin was wheeled out of a restaurant in tears. The whole concept of childbirth was a grey area for me, just like it would be for any eight year-old. The only thing I knew for certain was that she had a baby inside of her and then, all of a sudden, she didn’t. Reflecting on that subject now, I realized that after that day, nobody ever spoke to her about the miscarriage. It was as if it was forgotten.

“Wilted” is important, because it takes viewers on a personal journey through a woman’s life, not just as an expecting mother, but as a wife and a daughter. It will the show the reality of this tragic event and just how unexpected and abrupt it can be. We are able to see the woman’s life before: the happiness and hopefulness that pregnancy brings. We are also able to see the woman’s life after: the heartbreak and misery that the loss of a child invokes.

I believe the cinematic style of close-ups and P.O.V.s only further the intimacy of our relationship with this woman. The audience experiences her emotional reactions with only the sight of what she can see, almost placing the viewer in her shoes. I hope that “Wilted” will stimulate conversation and feelings that will no longer be forbidden and hushed.