The whats, the whys, and what fors

A child made to order is about Viola, an investigative journalist, whose search for a missing woman uncovers illegal gene therapy treatments. Viola is then faced with the dilemma of whether she wants to reveal the story publicly or fulfill her lifelong desire of being a mother.

This Norwegian/Polish film project is currently in development and has participated in MIDPOINT’s story development program organised by the Polish National Film School and Czech National Film School – FAMU. The production for this movie is planned as a Norwegian/Polish co-production.

A child made to order is a psychological thriller novel that tackles, not some far-off future technological themes, but the present reality of Genetics. Something that every parent will have to take a standpoint on. The novel also elaborates on the current difficulties infertile women face in their struggles to become mothers. Future parents and women coping with childlessness are whom I would like to reach with this story.

Through the story A child made to order, I would like to look at how biotechnology influences our world, the society we live in and most importantly the individual. The first thing that drew me to this matter is the moral ambivalence of the real live cases and the future of medical practice in this field. A subject matter which has rather a lot of gray shaded areas than pure black and whites, where there are no obvious moral stances. The second thing was how current this topic is. A future presented in Gattaca might have seemed distant but A child made to order shows we are right in the middle of it and it’s a revolution. So we need to ask, where do we set the limits both medically and ethically on how far we should intervene with mother nature? Are we prepared to give our children a better/more efficient head start with the biotech available. And at what cost? Based on what values do we bring our kids to the world? In what image and with which ideals do we conceive our children?

Finally on a more personal note. Although this project is a carefully plotted drama/thriller that is meant to engage and entertain the audience, it has also become an intensely personal journey for me. Overcoming my lifelong struggle with social anxiety has given me the emotional fuel to pen the inner journey of the main character of this novel, Viola, whose character arc is breaking out of the destructive mould caused by her infertility.

For more on the themes of this story, please see my blog: www.storygeist.com

To learn more about the novel, read a few free excerpts,  please go here A child made to order