by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
While viewers watch a human egg being fertilized by a sperm, the narration in this documentary about biological life and death, and genetic engineering, explains what is happening on screen. Other segments, such as animals trying to survive in the wild, human sexuality, or the way the brain works, are interesting for their footage and perhaps a little less interesting for the narration. If director Ed Kong had lightened the voiceover with a bit of humor, the documentary would prove more vital to a wider range of people. At the same time, three different versions of the narration were made available to distributors, each with a different degree of censorship.
