Synopsis
How much truth does a human need? Where did the Enlightenment take us? It became the driving force of modern life and thought. Of science, too. Today, thanks to technology, we can look inside ourselves, and even into the life that succeeds us, that is, into unborn life. Germany leads the world in prenatal diagnostics – human-becoming in the maternal body; a series of ultrasound photos, regular prophylactic medical examinations, of prenatal preparatory courses, yet also ending at times in late abortions.Am Anfang/In the Beginning is a calm examination of this much-discussed and controversial field of medical research. It is an intimate film about happiness and love, about the secret of human-becoming that pregnancy remains even in an era of total surveillance.
The director interviewed women and doctors and filmed their lives. The resulting material presents a non-judgemental view of expectations of starting a family, and also depicts the tragedy of decisions that will bring truth to light in their wake, and may indeed represent the first substantial ruptures in the course of a life.