What would you do if you got pregnant after a one-night stand? That’s the dramatic conceit of “Babes,” which turns out to be a very funny comedy about pregnancy, motherhood, and above all, friendship. Directed by Pamela Adlon and starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau, the feel-good and raunchy movie hits theaters on May 17.
Glazer stars as Eden and Buteau as Dawn, childhood best friends who have navigated life together in New York City. The movie opens with the duo’s annual tradition of going to the movie theater on Thanksgiving, where Dawn goes into labor with her second child. Eden, generally child- and care-free, accompanies her to the hospital and watches as her best friend gives birth.
Later that day, Glazer shares a special night with a guy named Claude. After she finds out she’s pregnant weeks later, she decides to have the child, and Dawn helps her navigate sonograms, morning sickness, and much more. The film is ultimately a portrait of this incredibly intimate, strong bond between two women friends – and is a testament to the power of creating nontraditional families.
The film is also hilarious. Just take the scene in which Eden tells Dawn, incredulously, that she’s pregnant. “I don’t know how this could’ve happened. I’ve had sex once since my last period, but I was on my period,” she says.
“Girl,” Dawn replies, and the two go back and forth on whether you can, in fact, get pregnant on your period.
Throughout the movie, the realities of pregnancy and childbirth are on full display, and this particular clip is actually a great lesson in sex ed. As Eden’s experience proves, there is a chance of getting pregnant while on your period. It is rare; people are likeliest to get pregnant during ovulation. But for people who have a shorter cycle, the time between your period and ovulation is closer together, making it possible. Sperm can also live up to five days after ejaculation, meaning that if you had sex toward the end of your period, you could conceive with early ovulation afterwards.
If you’re looking for more real talk about period sex, pooping while giving birth, and the like, be sure to watch “Babes” when it hits theaters later this month.
