Young teens having kids is the theme of this overly schematic drama that might best serve as a cautionary program in liberal sex education classes. Carefully representing the dominant ethnic classes--white, Hispanic, and black--of its Los Angeles setting, Bellyfruit follows three girls as they use sex as the common currency to gain acceptance and love. The unknown actors do a convincing job, and director/co-writer Kerri Lee Green doesn't romanticize the problems--morning sickness, crying babies, detached fathers, and the like--of teenage pregnancy and child-raising. Still, Bellyfruit has an artificial programmatic feel that works against its effectiveness as dramatic storytelling. Definitely optional. (T. Rich)
Bellyfruit
Vanguard (800-218-7888), 95 min., not rated VHS: $79.95, DVD: $29.95 Vol. 15, Issue 6
Bellyfruit
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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