What to Know
- "Babysplitters" stars Danny Pudi and Emily C. Chang.
- "Babysplitters" has won several film festival awards.
- Writer/director Sam Friedlander did not use traditional funding methods to make this film.
How many times have you discussed starting a family with a significant other? The reaction to that conversation may vary wildly but almost everyone has, at one time or another, talked about whether or not they want to have kids. Sometimes we fall on the same side as our partner. Other times we are split.
The idea behind writer/director Sam Friedlander's film "Babysplitters" takes that conversation to another level. It stars Danny Pudi ("Community"), Emily C. Chang ("The Vampire Diaries"), Maiara Walsh ("Mean Girls 2") and Eddie Alfano ("Shameless").
Married couple Jeff (Pudi) and Sarah (Chang) are having trouble agreeing on the right time to start a family. Jeff's feeling the pressure of being stuck in a dead-end sales job at a startup company, and Sarah is feeling the pressure of being at the mercy of her ticking biological clock. Their best friends Taylor (Walsh) and Don Small (Alfano) are also caught at a similar crossroads when it comes to family planning. Taylor, a professional dancer, has no yearning to carry a child, but Don is all for procreation since his fitness business -- his metaphorical baby -- is maturing successfully.
While some friends split a cheesecake, these friends decide to split a baby. Sarah would carry the child with Don's DNA. That way there is a little something of both couples in the mix. Their journey to conceive, on a budget, presents some very funny and relatable moments even though the story seems unfathomable.
The film was screened as part of ArcLight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club. Slamdance screens new films from the 2019 festival slate at ArcLight Hollywood. Each screening is followed by a filmmaker Q&A which I was asked to moderate for this film.
Friedlander told the audience he and producer Rebecca G. Stone did not go about making this film in the traditional way movies are made. There was no agency involvement, established production company backing, or film fund investment. The film was financed through grassroots fundraising efforts.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
And from the amount of film festival accolades and awards "Babysplitters" has racked up it seems like it was a move that's paying off.
"Babysplitters" was written/directed by Sam Friedlander and stars Danny Pudi, Emily Chang, Eddie Alfano, Maiara Walsh, and Mark Feuerstein.
