Maite Alberdi on A CHILD OF MY OWN: A Lie, a Baby, and Nine Months of Deception

Why would a woman pretend to be pregnant for nine months — and how do you tell her story without reducing her to either a victim or a villain? Two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi joins INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss A CHILD OF MY OWN, her provocative new Netflix documentary about Alejandra, a woman whose desperate desire to become a mother leads her to construct an elaborate lie — and ultimately cross an irreversible line. Alberdi takes us inside the film's striking creative process, including its blend of documentary testimony, casting sessions, stylized dramatic reconstruction, and conflicting accounts of what actually happened. She discusses the enormous social pressure placed on women to become mothers, the difficulty of separating truth from self-created narrative, and her determination to understand Alejandra without excusing her actions. The conversation also explores the ethical responsibility of documentary filmmakers, the relationship between performance and reality, and why Alberdi wants audiences to question their own judgments as the story unfolds. CHAPTERS 00:00 A Story That Defies Belief 01:18 INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE 02:05 Maite Alberdi Joins the Conversation 06:15 Entering Alejandra's Elaborate Lie 08:09 The Pressure to Become a Mother 11:15 Understanding Without Excusing 13:30 Where Documentary Meets Fiction 17:20 Contradictory Stories and Elusive Truth 20:06 Listening to Everyone Who Lived It 22:02 Casting, Performance and Reconstruction 24:27 The Filmmaker's Ethical Responsibility 27:04 Challenging the Audience's Judgment 29:49 Finding Humanity Inside a Dark Story 31:16 Final Thoughts Join us for a thoughtful and revealing conversation with one of contemporary documentary cinema's most distinctive filmmakers. Follow: @laemmle, @OfficialRaphaelSbarge, @Netflix #AChildOfMyOwn #MaiteAlberdi #InsideTheArthouse Please subscribe to INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE for more in-depth conversations with the filmmakers shaping independent, international, and arthouse cinema. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices