Back in 2009 director Gillian Robespierre made a little 20 minute film, a rom-com no less, called Obvious Child about a woman called Donna (played by Jenny Slate of Marcel the Shell fame) who has an encounter of the genital kind (please begin to refer to sex like that, it's what 2014 is going to be all about) with a guy called Peter that results in an unwanted pregnancy. It's not too much of a spoiler to tell you that hijinks and abortion ensues.
What? Yeah, a storyline featuring an abortion. I know what you're thinking, she regrets it yeah? The film must be constructed of flashbacks about the mildly traumatic termination of her pregnancy which she regrets forever. Or it all goes tits up like in Dirty Dancing and somebody's doctor father has to come and administer an unexplained injection. OR she almost goes through with it but then falls for the unlikely information that while she has yet to develop a bump that blastocyst is ready for its manicure, a la Juno.
What? Yeah, a storyline featuring an abortion. I know what you're thinking, she regrets it yeah? The film must be constructed of flashbacks about the mildly traumatic termination of her pregnancy which she regrets forever. Or it all goes tits up like in Dirty Dancing and somebody's doctor father has to come and administer an unexplained injection. OR she almost goes through with it but then falls for the unlikely information that while she has yet to develop a bump that blastocyst is ready for its manicure, a la Juno.
No, no, dear reader. IMBD describes Obvious Child as "A romantic comedy about an unplanned pregnancy, an abortion, and a great first date in an unlikely location." The lead even has the perfectly normal HPV infection that 1 in 4 nice women have. I KNOW! Relatable right?
In the short 20 minute film Donna gets pregnant, realises rearing a child is not an option for her and decides that abortion is the best choice to make in the grand scheme of 'every child a wanted child'.
In the short 20 minute film Donna gets pregnant, realises rearing a child is not an option for her and decides that abortion is the best choice to make in the grand scheme of 'every child a wanted child'.
| However even with the best effort it is hard to convey the complexity of abortion and as there is a dearth of films out there that can even say the word 'abortion' let alone allow it to play a big part in the plot line Obvious Child has been remade into a feature length film which will be showing at the Sundance Festival. | it proves that while abortion is not funny, you can be funny around the situation |
Obvious Child has bagged some recognisable faces, I spotted The Hairy Bird's Gaby Hoffman, David Cross and Richard Kind.
Robespierre said their motivation behind the film was because "We were waiting to see a more honest film, or at least, a story that was closer to many of the stories we knew. We weren't sure how long that wait was going to be, so we decided to tell the story ourselves."
To help the film makers out with costs the team behind Obvious Child has a Kickstarter campaign. They are currently $6921 short of their $35,000 goal.
It could perhaps open up a gateway to shows and films that examine abortion within relationships, so we don't just see it as the result of a one night stand or rape. If anything it proves that while abortion is not funny, you can be funny around the situation and you can have a supportive family and network of friends to accompany you through the entire situation. All this without medical complications (unless you go backstreet I suppose), gut wrenching regret or spiralling into drug addiction. Just like the majority of women who undergo abortions.
Squeamish Kate
Robespierre said their motivation behind the film was because "We were waiting to see a more honest film, or at least, a story that was closer to many of the stories we knew. We weren't sure how long that wait was going to be, so we decided to tell the story ourselves."
To help the film makers out with costs the team behind Obvious Child has a Kickstarter campaign. They are currently $6921 short of their $35,000 goal.
It could perhaps open up a gateway to shows and films that examine abortion within relationships, so we don't just see it as the result of a one night stand or rape. If anything it proves that while abortion is not funny, you can be funny around the situation and you can have a supportive family and network of friends to accompany you through the entire situation. All this without medical complications (unless you go backstreet I suppose), gut wrenching regret or spiralling into drug addiction. Just like the majority of women who undergo abortions.
Squeamish Kate
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