There Will Be More Than Blood
I watched 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days last night on IFC On Demand. Even with all the accolades it's received, I was a little reluctant to see it. The story of two young women in Romania during the late 80s trying to obtain an illegal abortion for one of them didn't strike me as something I really wanted to watch. It wasn't as disturbing as I feared, but it certainly wasn't without its disturbing moments either. Two scenes in particular were as tense and unsettling as any scenes I've ever seen in a movie. And the director should be given credit for not taking a stand one way or the other in the debate on abortion. He lets the drama play out with all its tragic consequences and leaves it to viewers to make up their own minds. Recommended, but obviously not for those who might be disturbed by the subject matter.
posted by BayonneMike at 3:13 PM
5 Comments:
(I have a long comment on this one, Mike. I won't post any more on it though).
So the issue of whether abortion is right or wrong becomes secondary to the no brainer, which is the lesser of 2 evils? Legal or Illegal?
It goes without saying that 'legal'
"lesser evil"/clean abortion would be the 'safer and more desirable' method to take the life of one's child, though research has shown that once the abortion is over and done, the psychological and emotional effects on the mother, and father, if he was involved, are lasting on various levels. It's only natural when you have taken an innocent life. Most people are not thinking straight when they are freaking out over an unwanted pregnancy. Some parents take their daughters in to have it done, while other girls will not inform thier folks.It's scary, so you'd want to at least provide them with a safe way "out"...right?
When facing an unwanted pregnancy, to have to choose between the 'lesser of two evils' is the saddest thing, when in this day and age there are viable alternatives which are healthy and good.
Just for once, let's see them make a movie with the same title in America. Follow her around while she's going through the same hell, and living through consequences of a legal abortion. Not a good idea?
Never saw the movie. I would love to see a movie about the orphanages in Romania. You couldn't tell any childless woman who would love to adopt a child that any one of these kids would be better off dead.
Gimmee a Romanian Baby!
No, Gina, the issue of whether abortion is right or wrong isn't secondary to the legal or illegal issue in the movie. Actually, by showing some of the grisly details, the movie could be said to make the case that there will always be something criminal about the procedure (at least past the first trimester as depicted in the movie). The movie doesn't debate all the issues. As I said, it presents one tragic story as realistically as possible and leaves it to the viewer to decide. And it certainly can't be said to present abortion in a "good" light (if that's even possible).
When does life begins? I figured it out a few years ago: if you can freeze some cells and thaw them out and implant them and bring it to term, then what you froze wasn't alive because freezing kills living things. Somewhere around the sixth day, cells can't be frozen because you kill the embryo.
If men had babies, all families would have one baby and outlawing abortion would be as likely as outlawing cigars.
I spent a few hours in a clinic once with a friend who was having a non-abortion procedure. There was a lot of crying in there my friend said from the women who were having abortions. I thought by now the RU-486 pill would have solved a lot of the need.
The movie JUNO was a utopian take on not freaking out when a teen gets pregnant. My blog for some reason has been covering a lot of unwed and wed pregnancy in books and movies this past year. Just for you Mike I'll retell the story of my old poker buddy:
In real life I’ve known a few people who were involved in a pregnancy out of wedlock. Unlike the movies, it’s rarely funny. In one case I think it actually improved the life of my old poker buddy Fat Johnny [not his real name] who was trapped by his girlfriend into marrying him [per my psychic mother as she saw her waddle down the aisle], because Johnny became more responsible. After the wedding both families helped them out. They moved from Brooklyn out to Long Island, had the baby and then had a few more kids. Think Jack and Diane, two kids doing the best they can. Johnny had grown up without a father and had large appetites unchecked by the firm hand of Dad. Starting a new life, by all accounts Johnny became a good suburban Hockey Dad. The last time I saw Johnny he was bowling in a lunch-time league at MSG. He was heavy and bald but he looked content. Another happy ending.
http://1onthetown.blogspot.com/2008/01/juno.html
http://1onthetown.blogspot.com/search?q=pregnant
This comment has been removed by the author.
oh i wasn't going to say anything but I can't help it.
Brian's comment about Fat Johnny's family life reminds me of Jack and Kate from the movie "The Family Man":
I loved that movie. Loved it. Nicholas Cage and Tea' Lione.
Kate: How can you do that?
Jack: What?
Kate: Look at me like you haven't seen me every day for the last 13 years.
-----------------------------
Jack: We have a house in Jersey. We have two kids, Annie and Josh. Annie's not much of a violin player, but she tries real hard. She's a little precocious, but that's only because she says what's on her mind. And when she smiles... And Josh, he has your eyes. He doesn't say much, but we know he's smart. He's always got his eyes open, he's always watching us. Sometimes you can look at him and you just know he's learning something new. It's like witnessing a miracle. The house is a mess but it's ours. After 122 more payments, it's going to be ours. And you, you're a non-profit lawyer. That's right, you're completely non-profit, but that doesn't seem to bother you. And we're in love. After 13 years of marriage we're still unbelievably in love. You won't even let me touch you until I've said it. I sing to you. Not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. We've dealt with our share of surprises and made a lot of sacrifices but we've stayed together. You see, you're a better person than I am. And it made me a better person to be around you. I don't know, maybe it was just all a dream. Maybe I went to bed one lonely night in December and I imagined it all. But I swear, nothing has ever felt more real. And if you get on that plane right now, it'll disappear forever. I know we could both go on with our lives and we'd both be fine, but I've seen what we could be like together. And I choose us.
Tissues please!! Babies are all beautiful and life is precious. sniff. that's all baby.
8:41 PM
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