Channel 4
My Fake Baby explores the lives of women who spend hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of pounds on life-like baby dolls. Known as “reborns” some of the dolls have beating hearts, others have tiny veins and even milk spots. Loved like real babies, they’re taken for walks, cuddled and even have their nappies changed.
The film follows women who all have very different reasons for entering the doll world. Sue is a self-confessed perfectionist who would love to have the perfect baby but is all too aware that the real thing can be messy, noisy and unpredictable.
We follow Sue on her journey towards a fifth addition to her family. She has ordered an “awake smiler” from a doll artist in Washington DC and is going to collect it in person to ensure it arrives home in perfect condition.
Having packed a pristine baby pram and a specially purchased designer “coming home” outfit from Harrods, Sue makes her way to the US. But when baby Sophie arrives damaged, Sue must return to the UK empty-handed. Disappointment aside, she is ultimately pragmatic - after all, Sophie’s bottle was full of fabric conditioner, rather than milk.
Doll designer Jaime – a mother of four – now fulfils the dreams of other women by engineering babies to their specifications in her front room. One of her clients is Christine wants to have a “reborn” created in the likeness of her grandson Harry. Harry now lives on the other side of the world, but Christine still longs for the days when she cared for him when he was a newborn.
My Fake Baby delves into an extraordinary pursuit which, although bizarre to some, brings great rewards to the women involved.