Show notes
Director Jessica Earnshaw talks with Mike about Baby Doe (2025), her documentary on Gail, tried decades after a newborn's 1993 death, and the phenomenon of pregnancy denial. Earnshaw traces her path from photojournalism, including a National Geographic essay on aging in prison, to her debut Jacinta, and how the film began with Emily Weaver's case before an appeals delay sent her searching for another, leading her to Gail.
They dig into building trust as a nearly one-woman crew, archival footage pulled from prosecutors' files, decades-old news coverage, and Gail's own home movies, and denial as a survival mechanism. Earnshaw talks about the case's all-male jury, how Gail's Baptist upbringing and shame around premarital sex fed her silence, and how screenings in Birmingham, Alabama drew unexpected empathy from Christian audiences.
Baby Doe streams on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Fandango. Follow at Baby Doe Film and @jess_ernshaw on Instagram.
They dig into building trust as a nearly one-woman crew, archival footage pulled from prosecutors' files, decades-old news coverage, and Gail's own home movies, and denial as a survival mechanism. Earnshaw talks about the case's all-male jury, how Gail's Baptist upbringing and shame around premarital sex fed her silence, and how screenings in Birmingham, Alabama drew unexpected empathy from Christian audiences.
Baby Doe streams on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Fandango. Follow at Baby Doe Film and @jess_ernshaw on Instagram.
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