Vegas Baby

In Las Vegas, the odds are all-important, and that is certainly true for those vying to win a contest sponsored by the city's Sher Institute featuring the prize of a round of expensive in-vitro fertilization treatments. Amanda Micheli's documentary follows the competition, from the initial submission of videos made by people who are desperate to have children, to the selection process (including online voting by viewers) that ultimately chooses the winner, and finally on to the resulting treatments, not only for the victorious couple but also for other contestants who choose to pay out of pocket. Inevitably, a good deal of poignancy is found in the appeals of contestants for votes. In one case, a wife determined to have a biological child is supported by her husband, despite the fact that doing so violates the tenets of his Catholic faith (as well as threatening his position at a Catholic workplace). Another young woman—a Lady Gaga impersonator—is physically unable to have a natural childbirth. And a couple has gone deeply into debt trying to have a child after their foster child was returned to the biological parents. Adding to the sad mood, of course, is the knowledge that there is no guarantee of success with the treatment. The very idea of such a contest might seem crass, but Dr. Geoffrey Sher and his associates all appear to have good motives as well as medical competence, and Micheli treats the participants with sensitivity and discretion. Recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $95: public libraries and $395: colleges and universities from Tugg at http://edu.tugg.com.] Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)