Baby Steps (2015)

Baby Steps is a warm, gently funny drama that finds real heart in the messy, very human work of building a family across cultures, borders, and expectations. It follows Danny and his partner Tate through the labyrinth of international surrogacy, but the film’s secret weapon is Gua Ah-leh as Danny’s mother—initially meddlesome and hard to please, yet played with such composed, lived-in charm that she becomes unexpectedly lovable. The vibe is “seldom less than pleasant,” balancing awkward comedy with sincere emotion as it moves from West Hollywood to Asia, letting small moments of tenderness do the heavy lifting. It won’t be for viewers craving sharp-edged satire or high-stakes melodrama, but if you want an empathetic, cross-cultural crowd-pleaser with a performance worth applauding, this one earns your time.

Baby Steps is clearly aiming for a heartfelt dramedy about building a modern family while navigating culture, sexuality, and the messy ethics of international surrogacy. The problem is that it often plays more like a well-meaning stage piece than a sharp film: scenes can feel long-winded, the dialogue can land stiffly, and the big themes get raised without being explored much beyond the surface. If you’re hoping for a nuanced, hard-hitting take on patriarchy, queer family-making, or the global surrogacy industry, you may find it frustratingly shallow and occasionally confusing in its focus. Still, the central mother-son dynamic has moments of warmth and tension, and if you’re in the mood for a modest, talky indie with good intentions rather than polished execution, it can be an easy enough watch.