Review: It's a Girl! (2012)

I am a big fan of documentaries and the Netflix documentary tab is one I frequent often. I slipped in under the gun and watched It's a Girl!, which is leaving Netflix on July 11th.

It's a Girl! is about female gendercide, focusing on India and China, where the systems of dowry, the one-child policy, and societal preference for boys fosters a culture of violence, infanticide, and feticide. It can be a little hard to watch, in the most revealing ways. Hearing women talk about strangling their own daughters because they do not want girls in India and the lengths that the government goes to in China to enforce the one-child policy is heartbreaking. There is a clip of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton speaking at a conference about how actions must be taken until human rights and women's rights are the same thing...in 1995. Yet the problems remain.

The documentary itself is a bit slow-paced, but I like the animation used and the narrator is excellent. After completing it, I think the slower pace gives the viewer time to consider and reflect. The trade-off is that it makes it easy to turn off if you aren't committed to finishing it, and that would be a shame. I always say to watch the credits, because all those people worked for the film and their names should be read, but this is one of those times when you miss out if you don't.

The Netflix version goes away on the 11th, so please take some time to watch it before then. If you are moved to take action, you can seek out further guidance on their website, http://www.itsagirlmovie.com/, as well as an update on one of the families you see.