Pregnant, abandoned by the father of her child, alone in a foreign land, Bei Bei Shuai tries to kill herself by drinking rat poison, a common suicide method in China. Rushed to the hospital by friends, she survives, and three days later gives birth to a 33 week old child, who dies in her arms. Instantly, she's transformed from a grieving mother into a felon. Charged with attempted feticide and first-degree murder, she spends 14 months in prison before her lawyer Linda Pence gets her out on bail. For the next year awaiting trial, Bei Bei and Linda battle the charges that could put Bei Bei in jail for 45 years to life.

Director's Statement

Bei Bei is the latest film in a series of documentaries focusing on the transformative struggles of individual women engaged in legal, political and cultural battles that revolve around sexuality, reproductive health and justice. The Education of Shelby Knox follows a budding young feminist campaigning against abstinence-only sex education in her conservative, Southern Baptist community of Lubbock, Texas. Young Lakota is the portrait of a young woman living on the Pine Ridge Reservation, whose fight over abortion politics and tribal sovereignty leads to self-discovery. Bei Bei revolves around a high stakes legal case that highlights the harsh political realities of the day. It tells the story the public didn't see: Bei Bei grieving the loss of her child while trying to regain her mental health and face murder charges, the fierce attorney who fought tooth and nail to keep her out of jail, and the communities who came together to protest a prosecution many felt was a witch hunt.

Category: Documentary.
Themes: Human Rights, Jurisprudence, Law, Relationships, Women.

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