Tick Tock Lullaby

Tick Tock Lullaby

Lesbian Bio Clocks

Oh, no! Not another lesbian parenting flick! What is it with lesbians and their need to breed? OK. I’ll admit I am one of those aforementioned breeders (my son is 9 months old) and I was curious about Tick Tock Lullaby, about the director’s presentation of the pregnancy adventure. How I wish I could say I was pleased and delighted, that I laughed out loud, that it was better than Cats. Instead, I found myself cringing at the screen, dismayed by the rather dark and dim view of women, of lesbians, of pregnancy and the desire to have a child.

The Quest for Kids

Tick Tock Lullaby tracks three somewhat interwoven stories about pregnancy. One story features a single photographer who in her desire to have a baby sleeps with countless, naïve, barely legal men. Another story focuses on the photographer’s married sister who despite a rather cold and loveless/sexless marriage pursues pregnancy in order to feel more fulfilled, perhaps out of a sense of should/would. The last story, and the one that gets the most attention, is that of Sasha and Maya, lesbians who cruise the urban cafes and bars of London to find the perfect donor.

Drama? Comedy? Drama? Comedy?

The film flip flops between wanting to be a drama and wanting to be a comedy and never seems to find its proper direction, message, or pace. The “baby questions” posed by Maya and Sasha are very profound and worthy of pursuit – perhaps better served by a separate film. Their actions, including sex with a random actor they pick up at their local coffee shop (who, by the way, has a very pregnant, ready to pop wife at home – Gross!), seem out of character and, frankly, just plain wrong. I get that it is difficult to have a baby when you don’t necessarily have the means to afford a sperm bank or adoption. This is a real challenge for many lesbian couples and a topic that needs exploration – but we don’t really get that here. It’s clear the director is intelligent, lyrical in her attempts at storytelling, but the film misses the mark. I don’t engage with the stories or with the characters. I don’t feel sympathy for their wants, needs, or ambivalent attempts. In the back of my mind, I think, “Don’t have kids!” The lesbian parenting genre is a vital one and worthy of healthy, nurturing, responsible portrayals.

My Rating:

My Rating: 1 star. The best line of the film: “I want to scrunch your soul into my vagina and mix it around.” BWAH! Rent this at your own risk. You’ve been warned.