A Judge Later Testified That Ale's Desperation May Have Caused a Pseudo-pregnancy, Explaining Why a Doctor Appeared to Hear a Heartbeat

Chilean director Maite Alberdi's intimate docudrama "A Child of My Own" tells the barely believable true-crime tale of Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza (aka Ale), who faked a nine-month pregnancy after three miscarriages. Ale, played by Ana Celeste in re-enactments, convinced her husband Arturo (Armando Espitia) and his family she was pregnant, while secretly planning to take the baby of single mother Mayra, whom she met at the hospital where she worked. The film shifts from candy-coloured reconstructions to sobering reality when Ale is arrested in a motel room shortly after leaving the General Hospital of Mexico with the baby hidden in a gift bag.

She is now serving a 13-year prison sentence for child kidnapping, while Arturo served two years. A judge later testified that Ale's desperation may have caused a pseudo-pregnancy, explaining why a doctor appeared to hear a heartbeat. The film questions the reliability of Ale's account, especially her claim of an adoption arrangement, which Mayra insists is fiction.

Reminiscent of Bart Layton's The Imposter, the docudrama explores auto-delusion and societal pressures. A Child of My Own is in UK cinemas from 7 August and on Netflix from 13 August.