Like the other reviewer here, saw this today at a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Wow. Definitely an intense film. Intense because it certainly lays out the discussion on abortion in a fairly unbiased objective way. The first hour will leave you think "hold on a second, is this a Pro-Life film/propaganda masquerading as a serious documentary" but then through the rest the argument becomes more open minded as Kaye presents interviews with both ends of the argument.
The problems with the film is more in technical elements of a documentary. It is outright...too long. Certainly lengthy interviews and discussions with subjects about abortions, their roles in the pro life or pro choice movements will feature people speaking grandly and passionately, but at least 10 interviews could have been cut out entirely, or shortened significantly. As such, the pace of the film lags, sometimes you are compelled and moved and disgusted and laughing, and at other times the lull of certain interviews just detract from engaging in the film. Editing is somewhat sub par, pacing isn't great. The other weakness is that a lot of the content show is out of date, lots of coverage of events in the early 90's, etc etc, just seems not really fitting to discuss and analyze the abortion debate with figures and topics from a decade or more ago. Covering Roe vs Wade is key, there seems to be only one event discussed from this century. Kind of odd.
Otherwise, its a great topic to discuss, its an important film simply because he did pick good people to showcase on the topic. The film is startlingly because Kaye does show....abortions, repeat, you will see aborted fetuses in this, you will see the process of abortion and believe me plenty of people in the audience had to avert our eyes for a number of scenes in the film. That being said, it didn't seem like those images were there simply for shock value. Its more a strength that Kaye made a film that absolutely does not hold back, from either standpoint. The most absolutely inane and outright ridiculous evangelic, extremely fundamentalist Christian pro-lifers are given screen time, as well as the more moderate, intelligent, well spoken representatives on the Pro-Life side. At sometimes it might seem as if there is a Pro-Life bias, but when the entire audience is laughing at the ridiculously, narrow minded diatribes found in some of the interviews with the Pro-Lifers, its easy to see Kaye put them there, unfiltered to balance things out a bit.
The film....doesn't seem to have a good sense of direction. There are some shocking revelations (Roe, as in the woman who won an appeal to have an abortion legally in the famous Roe Vs. Wade case, is now working with a Christian group AGAINST abortion).
Anyways...cant think of what else to say. Good film, a few flaws, somewhat shocking at times, but interest topic for sure.
Wow. Definitely an intense film. Intense because it certainly lays out the discussion on abortion in a fairly unbiased objective way. The first hour will leave you think "hold on a second, is this a Pro-Life film/propaganda masquerading as a serious documentary" but then through the rest the argument becomes more open minded as Kaye presents interviews with both ends of the argument.
The problems with the film is more in technical elements of a documentary. It is outright...too long. Certainly lengthy interviews and discussions with subjects about abortions, their roles in the pro life or pro choice movements will feature people speaking grandly and passionately, but at least 10 interviews could have been cut out entirely, or shortened significantly. As such, the pace of the film lags, sometimes you are compelled and moved and disgusted and laughing, and at other times the lull of certain interviews just detract from engaging in the film. Editing is somewhat sub par, pacing isn't great. The other weakness is that a lot of the content show is out of date, lots of coverage of events in the early 90's, etc etc, just seems not really fitting to discuss and analyze the abortion debate with figures and topics from a decade or more ago. Covering Roe vs Wade is key, there seems to be only one event discussed from this century. Kind of odd.
Otherwise, its a great topic to discuss, its an important film simply because he did pick good people to showcase on the topic. The film is startlingly because Kaye does show....abortions, repeat, you will see aborted fetuses in this, you will see the process of abortion and believe me plenty of people in the audience had to avert our eyes for a number of scenes in the film. That being said, it didn't seem like those images were there simply for shock value. Its more a strength that Kaye made a film that absolutely does not hold back, from either standpoint. The most absolutely inane and outright ridiculous evangelic, extremely fundamentalist Christian pro-lifers are given screen time, as well as the more moderate, intelligent, well spoken representatives on the Pro-Life side. At sometimes it might seem as if there is a Pro-Life bias, but when the entire audience is laughing at the ridiculously, narrow minded diatribes found in some of the interviews with the Pro-Lifers, its easy to see Kaye put them there, unfiltered to balance things out a bit.
The film....doesn't seem to have a good sense of direction. There are some shocking revelations (Roe, as in the woman who won an appeal to have an abortion legally in the famous Roe Vs. Wade case, is now working with a Christian group AGAINST abortion).
Anyways...cant think of what else to say. Good film, a few flaws, somewhat shocking at times, but interest topic for sure.