The following article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/10.35.html
Christianity Today, February, 2008
Choosing Life at the Movies
2007 could be remembered as the Year of Pro-Life Cinema.
Mark Moring | posted 1/22/2008 09:03AM
To some, it was a year of war movies and "statement" flicks--including
In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, and Rendition. Meanwhile,
David Poland of Movie City News declared 2007 "Oscar's Year of the
Man," noting that of the top sixteen contenders for best picture, only
three were headlined by women.
But others noticed a different trend: In some ways, 2007 was the Year
of Pro-Life Cinema.
From the church-friendly Bella to the raunchy Knocked Up, film after
film depicted its main character facing an unplanned pregnancy and
opting not for abortion, but for carrying the unborn child to term.
Sometimes the mother kept the baby (Knocked Up, Waitress), and
sometimes she gave the baby up for adoption (Bella, Juno, August
Rush). But in each of these films, the mother, and sometimes the
father, made a critical decision that was decidedly "pro-life."
Children of Men kicked off the year with a dystopian sci-fi tale in
which Earth's entire population is infertile; no babies have been born
in 18 years. Along comes a woman who is, inexplicably, pregnant. Clive
Owen plays Theo, a sort of modern-day Joseph who must deliver the
woman, and her unborn child, to safe haven. When the baby is born in a
war zone, the dazed Theo utters just two words: "Jesus Christ." The
Lord's name in vain? Or a nod to a miracle child who holds all hope
for humankind's future?
In Waitress, Keri Russell plays Jenna, who ends up with an unwanted
pregnancy from her abusive husband. Jenna makes some poor and selfish
choices, but saves her most unselfish decision for the life growing
inside her: She opts to have the baby, a choice that becomes her
saving grace.
Knocked Up is an R-rated comedy that's as crass as it gets, making it
the year's most unlikely "pro-life" film. It is written and directed
by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), whom Entertainment Weekly
called "the sneakiest and snarkiest moralist in Hollywood." The story
features Seth Rogen as Ben, a pot-smoking slacker, and Katherine Heigl
as Alison, a smart TV personality who, in one night of drunken
celebration, ends up in the sack with Ben--and winds up with more than
a hangover. Despite her mother and others urging her to "take care of
it," Alison decides to have the baby. Remarkably, Ben takes
responsibility and grows up a bit, and together they bring the child
into the world in an incredibly life-affirming delivery room scene.
The tender Bella celebrates friendship, family, and, most of all,
life. When Nina, a struggling single woman, learns she's pregnant, she
plans to abort, but when a friend offers support, she reconsiders--and
we don't learn of her final decision until the end of the movie.
Writer/director Alejandro Monteverde, a devout Catholic, told CT he's
reluctant to use the term "pro-life" to characterize his film, because
he doesn't want it pigeonholed. Instead, Monteverde calls it "a love
story that goes beyond romance" and illustrates "self-sacrificial love
for others."
In August Rush, Keri Russell plays another mom facing an unplanned
pregnancy, this time as a single woman. Her character opts to have the
child, but on her father's insistence, she gives him up for adoption.
The boy is placed in an orphanage, but the story doesn't end there, as
mother and son ultimately seek one another out.
Capping off the year was Juno, featuring Ellen Page as the title
character--a whip-smart teen with an unplanned baby growing inside.
Juno plans to abort, but outside the clinic, one of her high school
classmates--a pro-life activist--chants, "All babies want to be borned."
Grammatical error aside, Juno gets the message and, moments later,
runs out of the abortion clinic, her mind changed--and her friend calls
out, "God appreciates your miracle!" Juno then begins a search for the
perfect parents to adopt her unborn child.
What's more, Waitress, Knocked Up, August Rush, and Juno all
prominently feature ultrasound images showing the child at various
stages of development--powerful images that in real life have helped
many young mothers decide against abortion and choose life instead.
Has Hollywood Gone Pro-Life?
Does this all add up to a Hollywood "trend"? Have Tinseltown's
filmmakers, oft regarded as liberals and frequently blasted as
purveyors of immorality, gone pro-life?
It at least represents some changing perspectives and plot lines.
Abortion had been the option of choice in films like Dirty Dancing
(1987) and The Cider House Rules (1999), and came to the fore in 2004
with Alfie, Vera Drake, and Palindromes. A 2004 Wall Street Journal
commentary observed that Hollywood was handling abortion "with breezy
self-righteousness," adding, "There is really only one kind of
abortion drama that post-Roe v. Wade Hollywood permits, and that is
one that ultimately endorses use of the procedure."
Fast forward to 2007, when Gerard Baker of London's Times said this
about Knocked Up and Waitress: "While most women in real life will
choose to have an abortion in these circumstances, neither film
features any consideration of a termination. ... This has some feminists
outraged." And last summer, The New York Times ran a story titled, "On
Abortion, Hollywood Is No-Choice," observing that those two films went
"out of their way to sidestep real life. Nearly two-thirds of unwanted
pregnancies end in abortion. ... The possibility of not having the baby
is never discussed by either woman despite her circumstances."
While several Christians in the industry applaud the pro-life choices
depicted in these films, they're reluctant to call it a trend.
"There's no question that after a polarizing 30-year battle over
issues like abortion, we're seeing a new environment in Hollywood and
in the culture in general," says filmmaker and media guru Phil Cooke.
"But I'm always hesitant to make 'pronouncements' about the
entertainment industry, because media often simply reflects changes
that are already happening in the culture." Indeed, abortion rates
have been slowly declining in the U.S. in recent years, according to
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and The Guttmacher Institute.
Rob Johnston, professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological
Seminary, notes that with the exception of Bella, these films aren't
being made by Christians.
"The church cannot take credit for this newfound interest [in pro-life
storylines]," says Johnston, author of Reframing Theology and Film.
"Rather, we need to thank a growing number of filmmakers for
portraying the preciousness of life. All life has a sanctity that
increasing numbers of people are recognizing."
Craig Detweiler, Johnston's colleague at Fuller and author of A Matrix
of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture, says the "trend" may simply
be a reflection of good storytelling principles--especially in comedies
like Knocked Up.
"Comedies almost always end with weddings and births," says Detweiler.
"That's the Shakespearean way. It's tough to turn an abortion into a
comedic or happy ending, but a baby makes audiences coo and smile.
Additionally, films are often about leaps of faith--and nothing takes
more faith than bringing a child into this cracked and crazy world."
Sister Rose Pacatte, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies,
was especially struck by the pro-life themes beneath the muck and
persistent f-bombs of Knocked Up. She said she wouldn't be surprised
if the film convinced some pregnant women to change their minds about
having an abortion.
"Knocked Up speaks the language of today to the people of today," says
Pacatte. "It may be crass and gross, but I don't think it's immoral.
That's a sensitivity issue we Christians need to get over. I bet this
film has done more for life than the ranting and raging of the well-
intentioned oral majority who stop at the immorality of recreational
sex and miss the opportunity to address this issue as well.
"Sometimes Christians judge a movie to be 'anti-life' on the face of
it, but if they enter the story, they may find something completely
life-affirming. In Knocked Up, their choosing life was part of a
decision to grow up and take responsibility. This is original in the
sex comedy genre."
Original, perhaps, but is it countercultural? Brett McCracken, a film
critic for ChristianityTodayMovies.com, thinks so.
"There is a general impulse in screenwriting to go against the grain,"
says McCracken. "Movies that choose life instead of abortion are going
totally against audience expectations. So it may be that these writers
are just trying to be a little avant-garde by presenting a
conservative-leaning perspective. 'Countercultural' is a good word for
award-seeking Hollywood films, but in terms of Hollywood's culture,
pro-life is the countercultural position."
Whatever is driving Hollywood's writers and filmmakers, it's good to
see more movies affirming the sanctity of life. And there's no denying
the power of cinema to change lives--and maybe even to save them ...
including the unborn.
Mark Moring is the editor of ChristianityTodayMovies.com.
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