The Easy Bit is a new film directed by Tom Webb and produced by Zara Ballantyne-Grove. The film had its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in September 2019 and follows six men speaking candidly on the various stages of fertility treatment. From the initial diagnosis through to making the decision to try fertility treatment, going to the clinic, the hormone treatments, egg collection and sample giving, the implantation procedure, the two-week wait and finally taking the test.
The filmmakers hope is that more support is made readily available for men going through IVF treatment alongside their partners. Given the number of couples struggling with infertility around the world, the focus placed upon encouraging men to open up about their feelings and the emotional cost is evidence that more needs to be done.
We caught up with Tom Webb to talk about the film.
Congratulations on the release of your debut feature. Given the sensitivity of the film’s subject matter, what’s the response been like so far?
Thank you! I’ve been very pleased with the reaction so far, I’ve had messages from men going through fertility treatment saying how much it has helped them to know they are not alone and that it’s ok to talk about it. I know that some people have found it challenging to watch and I think a lot of that is down to how raw, open and honest the guys in the film are. It’s unusual to see men talk this way and I think it’s something we need more of.
What about the topic appealed to you?
My wife and I spent twelve years trying to have a child and that included going through fertility treatment. All the time we were going through it I felt there was very little support and virtually no information or resources available to me. We charted our fertility treatment in a blog and the reaction to that made me realise that no one really understood what men were going through, so I decided to do something that would help raise awareness and understanding.
The film screened at the Raindance film festival last year. How was the reaction?
It was amazing screening at Raindance. Seeing the film up on a big screen with an audience was very special. I always knew that given the subject matter and the main audience of the film that most people will watch this at home on a TV or tablet so it was nice to see it play in a more traditional setting and feel the reaction in the room. Hearing people gasp, laugh and sob was an experience I’ll never forget. Afterwards we did a Q and A and men in the audience who had never spoken to anyone about their infertility started asking questions and talking about themselves in front of a crowd of strangers. Seeing that the film gave them courage to do that was also something I’ll never forget.
What had you hoped to achieve with the film?
My mindset going into the film is that if it helps one man realise he’s not alone and that there are people out there that can help then it was worth doing. Based on the response I have had so far I know that it doing what I intended to do. Something that I hadn’t been prepared for is the reaction from fertility clinics and clinicians. I think they have found it very eye opening and hopefully it will fundamentally change how men are treated through the fertility treatment process.
The film can be rented on Vimeo on Demand or on Amazon Prime Video now.
