Active, outdoors woman Zoe (Rose Matafeo) works as an arborist, alongside her boyfriend Tim (Matthew Lewis).
Theirs is a happy union.
It appears all their coupled-up friends are popping out babies big time, but the thought of being tied down and giving up her freedom makes Zoe shudder ... and then that very thing happens.
She tries to convince the nurse who imparts the news to her that it is tapeworm, but the nurse is having none of it.
Shellshocked Zoe doesn’t tell Tim and tries to get on with her life as if nothing has happened.
After all, she is planning a trip to Canada to compete in the World Tree Climbing championships … and she won’t take “no” for an answer.
But the truth unexpectedly outs while she is competing in her native New Zealand.
Thereafter, Tim is hell bent on getting Zoe to settle down and chart a more sensible path.
But obstinate Zoe – who wants her old life back – still isn’t having any of it, putting strain on their relationship and leading to hijinks.
Zoe’s parents, including her obstetrician father, can’t make any headway either.
Zoe is intent on fighting the inevitable all the way to the birthing ward and, indeed, that is just what she does.
The story idea for Baby’s Done arose when writer Sophie Henderson unexpectedly fell pregnant to director husband Curtis Vowell while they were living in Melbourne.
Although excited, the pair was totally unprepared.
For Henderson, writing the screenplay was her way of coping.
She was terrified of becoming a mum and losing herself, so she tried to live the nine months as if they were her last.
Henderson was not a well-behaved pregnant woman.
Comedian Matafeo is a prize choice for the lead.
She is naturally funny and comes across accordingly.
That is in spite of the fact that her character is also annoying.
Writer Henderson has done a fine job imbuing not only Zoe’s role, but others, with humour.
I speak of nurses and a school principal as examples.
I chuckled.
She has also pushed the envelope by introducing the outrageous or risqué.
One element didn’t go down well with me and that was making light of a drug that taking even one of could kill.
Baby Done is one of those movies in which the outcome is never in doubt, but there is a lot of fun along the way.
It is a small film that pushes many of the right notes.
Rated M, it scores a 7 out of 10.
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