Man Made - The Story of Two Men and a Baby 2003

Tony Wood and Lee Matthews are an upwardly mobile gay male Melbourne couple. After 13 years together they wanted to have a child, but not by sharing parenting with a lesbian couple. Legally prevented in Victoria from adopting a baby, accessing IVF facilities, or entering into a commercial surrogacy arrangement, Tony and Lee’s determination to become parents took them to Iowa, where surrogacy is legal for gay couples. Filmmaker Emma Crimmings accompanies them to Cedar Rapids for the birth and becomes acquainted, as they do, with the surrogate mother and her family. By staying close to the personal stories of the two wannabe fathers and the woman who helps them out (for a significant financial reward), Crimmings calmly and delicately explores the ethical and emotional minefield of commercial surrogacy. Crimmings is less directly concerned with the political debate regarding gay marriage, but there’s plenty in her film to challenge or to reinforce any number of opinions on the subject. — BG