In Unborn we follow the internal monologue of a hybrid pigeon-persona who questions her inevitable cursed fate of parenthood. As a pigeon, she is supposed to build a nest to lay her eggs, but she fundamentally doubts her part in the cycle of life. Several absurd scenes show her struggle with popular belief, and nightmarish fantasies around the trappings of parenthood, and indirectly address reproductive rights without perpetuating the polarising perspective present in ongoing public debate. The spell-like remarks of the crow could be seen as her conscience echoing society’s expectations around reproduction. The presence of the egg as a haunted object with magical properties in this film becomes an unsettling interpretation of (in)fertility as a curse. The video incorporates various digital and hand-made techniques like stop-motion animation, set design, sound design and performance to unfold an uncanny world.

• Puck Verkade