To my list of movies that might be good for you to see, allow me to add Casa de los Babys. This independent film tells the story of six American women who travel to an unnamed Latin American country in order to adopt babies. The women must live there until the adoptions are approved and finalized.

As with any group of humans, the characters represent a mixed bag. Some of these mothers-to-be are good people, while others are downright horrible. (A few of the women are your stereotypical “clueless Americans,” and to varying degrees, they all struggle with the clash of cultures and social classes that occurs when relatively wealthy Americans travel to much poorer countries.) In addition, all of them have their own reasons for adopting, and the movie does a good job of looking at the different motivations of the women. I recommend it in part because it acquaints you with some of the emotional ups and downs faced by adopting mothers.

But the real reason I enjoyed this film so much is not for what it tells you about adoptive parents, but for the accuracy of a single excruciating scene involving a birthmother. It happens late in the movie, but you’ll know it when you see it, and if you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop crying. I found it refreshing to see such an honest, unflinching portrayal of the anguish involved in surrendering a child, and an acknowledgement of how the grief lingers years after the fact.

While this is a fictional story, it could just as easily be a documentary. Though no one film can cover it all, or get every detail right, at least in this movie, some of the deepest, rawest emotions that surround adoption (and surrender) are expertly depicted.

As with the other film I recently recommended, The Baby Dance, don’t watch this if you’re feeling especially low right now. But do watch it if you want to learn more about just how complex and ambiguous the whole idea of adoption can be.