Critic's Grade: B

In "Casa de los Babys," we're introduced to a group of six American women who anxiously awaiting a single united dream. Each one of them has come to South America to adopt an orphaned infant; many of them have been waiting in the country for as long as two months. The most uptight of these is Nan (Marcia Gay Harden), whose rich-** attitude gets her everywhere and nowhere all at once. She is accompanied by the sterile Jennifer (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is insecure about being an adoptive mother; Gayle (Mary Steenburgen), whose religious faith allows her to look past people's faults and try to find their good; Skipper (Daryl Hannah), whose strict workouts and exercise give off the impression to the others that she is a lesbian; Leslie (Lili Taylor), who is repulsed by the idea that her soon-to-be daughter could ever grow up to be her best friend; and Eileen (Susan Lynch), whose outward maternal nature keeps her from really focusing on everyone else's dilemnas.

As with many of John Sayles' films, this one has a relatively simplistic outline, full of characters who progressively gain our attention by conversing with one another about topics that relate to everything from their own pasts to that of other characters. Through these discussions, we learn a great deal about who these women are, and are able to make judgments about their capability as potential mothers based on that. But Sayles also broadens the spectrum by giving us many powerful glimpses of a disturbing enterprise that sells infants born to unwed pregnant teenagers and those too impoverished to care for their offspring. For motel owner Se?ora Mu?oz (Rita Moreno), selling off a human life is no big thing: it's simply a way of supplementing her income. For those we see who have either been through or are experiencing the emotional plight of separation, it's a different story. Filled with terrific performances and moments of intrigue, "Casa de los Babys" is anything but infantile in its intentions.

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