Pregnancy: female name
Because she did not have the right to choose to have recourse to a midwife during her pregnancies, director Claudie Simard decided to highlight this still little-known profession which nevertheless provides essential care, but little accessible. In Quebec, in fact, only 4% of births are attended by some 200 midwives, compared to 25% in British Columbia. The practice began to be legalized more than 20 years ago in Canada, and the WHO estimates that 85% of deliveries could be carried out by midwives in complete safety. The fascinating and moving documentary Wise and rebels thus makes it a point of honor to neutralize received ideas, such as that of frightening home birth, and to reassure viewers through the testimonies of dedicated midwives.
Thanks to Andrée Rivard, historian and author, we also learn that, in a total absence of freedom from the 1950s, women were imposed a unique model of childbirth in the hospital, supervised by doctors and not without obstetrical violence (shaving of the pubis, intestinal enemas, prohibition of drinking and eating, etc.). While these shocking routine practices have faded over time, some births still remain a traumatic ordeal. This is the case, for example, for the women of the Cree community of Chisasibi, in Nord-du-Québec, whom Claudie Simard met. They must take the plane to give birth at the hospital in Val-d’Or, located 900 kilometers from their village, without their families and surrounded by doctors who do not speak their language. However, the return of the precious practice of midwives and the establishment of a birth center offer them a fulfilling, safe and, above all, alternative solution, lived near their loved ones, to give birth.
Finally, Wise and rebels retraces the history of the profession of midwife, intimately linked to that of the feminist struggle. Giving women the possibility of having recourse to it is, in fact, granting them the right to choose with whom and where they will give birth to their child. And even if the practice is now authorized, the documentary brilliantly shows a latent misogyny. Decision-making medical teams, mostly male, very often slow down the process of setting up midwives in their region, as in the Gaspé…
Wise and rebels
ICI Télé, Saturday, March 4, 10:30 p.m., and on ICI Tou.tv
Curtain up at Télé-Québec
On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, Télé-Québec is broadcasting a special program devoted to the Quebec author Nelly Arcan, who died in 2009. Excerpts from the recording of the play The fury of what I think and conversations with cast members — Christine Beaulieu, Sophie Cadieux, Larissa Corriveau, Évelyne de la Chenelière, Julie Le Breton, Johanne Haberlin and Anne Thériault — are notably part of the show.
The theater man and animator René Richard Cyr invites the public to immerse themselves in the work of Michel Tremblay. The theatrical fresco Michel Tremblay in 80 beats pays tribute to the octogenarian playwright thanks to several actors, including Marilyn Castonguay and Benoît McGinnis, who play a selection of monologues evoking themes that are dear to him.
The fury of what I think
Télé-Québec, Wednesday, March 8, 8 p.m.
Michel Tremblay in eighty beats
Télé-Québec, Saturday, March 4, 9 p.m.
On the platforms
Prime Video offers new Quebec content with During this time in food, which offers privileged access to six local restaurants: Le Mousso, Mastard, Arthurs, Le Virunga, Côté Est and Kwizinn. The series reveals, among other things, the behind-the-scenes and realities of the restaurant industry, ranging from sourcing to creating unique menus.
Internationally, let’s also highlight the arrival of the British original series Rain Dogs on Crave, where Daisy May Cooper (This Country) plays a single mother who is humorously trying to survive in modern-day London. There’s also the highly anticipated sequel to The crazy story of the world by Mel Brooks with a Disney+ comedy series that travels through humanity, as well as the film Luther. fallen suna sequel to the Netflix saga that stars Idris Elba (TheWire) as a disgraced detective.
Meanwhile in the kitchen
Prime Video, from March 10
Rain Dogs
Crave, starting March 6
The crazy history of the world, part 2
Disney+, from March 6
Luther. fallen sun
Netflix, from March 10