Post by Rob W. Case on Jan 22, 2020 22:18:09 GMT -6
Unplanned is one of those films that have many distinct attributes to it. For one, its composition is so well done, that it makes you look at the substance of a very controversial issue in a very unique way. Second, apart from being one of the most definitive films of 2019, it is a film that will play an important part of a movement…. For many years to come. Thirdly, this film stirs up contention among extremely political special interest groups, which in turn raises awareness to the substance to the cause, and debate as well. But once you see the film, and become acquainted with Abby Johnson’s story, you will not only see why it is so effective, but you will also see why her experiences regarding her previous involvement and advocacy on this issue make for a very potent case for the contrary.
The Story:
Meet Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher), an ambitious and dedicated worker for Planned Parenthood, who moved up the ranks to become one the youngest clinical directors to work for the organization to date. On September 26th, 2009, Abby was asked into the clinic’s procedure room to assist in an ultra-sound guided abortion. What she saw in there changed everything she ever felt about the issue of abortion.
Flashback to 8 Years Before:
Abby espouses some of her parents’ pro-life beliefs… until they are addressed and challenged by a recruiter for Planned Parenthood. This recruiter tells Abby about the services that the organization provides, and that their clinics need volunteer help. After some questions and concerns are swapped, Abby finds herself signing up to be a volunteer.
Abby’s first day is an interesting one. With the facility surrounded by anti-abortion activists, Abby finds that her job would start out by escorting women and young girls seeking Planned Parenthood’s services from their cars and into the building without being influenced or feeling pressured in any way by the protestors. Abby’s hard work and ambition catches the eye of the facility’s supervisor, Cheryl D’Allesandro (Robia Scott) and within a matter of no time, Abby is promoted from volunteer escort to recruiter. Due to the results of her job performance as recruiter, Cheryl brings Abby to the P.O.C. room where pieces of a human fetus are taken out of the patient’s body and reassembled in a dish so as to make sure all of the parts are out. When Cheryl sees that Abby does not react emotionally to the sight of the deceased fetus, she is assured that Abby is the one she wants to replace her as clinic director, in the wake of her promotion as regional director in Houston.
And so, Abby becomes a clinic director, handling procedures, patients, budgets, crises, and all sorts of matters that leaders handle. Abby’s performance as clinic director earns her recognition in Houston for the “employee of the year” award. It is from that point, Cheryl demands from all clinics within the region to expand chemically induced abortions, double the amount of abortion procedures from the previous year, and “raise the bar” on performing procedures on terms from 8 weeks to 24. Abby is disturbed by all of this, as she believes that Planned Parenthood is designed to act as a health clinic with abortion being the last resort. So she asks Cheryl at the board meeting about the policy stated in the manual, and later, after the meeting is over, Cheryl scolds her. It is at this point, Abby finds out that Cheryl’s real motives aren’t focused on women’s care, but on dollars and cents. Cheryl tells Abby, “let me explain something to you. Fast food outlets look to break even on the hamburgers they sell. That’s all they do, is break even. Do you know how they make their money? On the french fries and the soda, the low-cost high margin items. Abortion is our fries and soda.” Cheryl goes on, “Abortion is what pays your salary. It pays for your matching 401k, your 4 weeks vacation, your ample sick time. Abortion is what pays for all of it… for you and your family.”
Things then sort of down spiral as Abby receives a reprimand out of nowhere for questioning Cheryl in front of other clinic directors. Much worse, she is called into the procedure room to assist in an ultra-sound guided abortion, and it is what she sees in there that triggers a turning point and changes everything she ever believed about abortion. From there, she seeks the counsel of newfound friends from the Coalition for Life, a pro-life organization that peacefully protests abortion in front of Abby’s Planned Parenthood facility, but things don’t end there. As Abby turns pro-life and now advocates choosing life in front of her clinic, her incorporating her experience from the clinic triggers a lawsuit from the organization, which then turns into a legal battle.
My Take:
While the issue of abortion is of a disturbing nature to many, this film does an incredible job telling a true simple story addressing, in a raw and honest way, experiences, matters, and concerns relating to the issue of abortion, telling it from a woman who once supported it, had an abortion herself, not once, but twice, and pushed ahead despite opposition from her family and her fiancée. What happened to Abby Johnson is what happens to many when the weight of the moral factor hits a person, and hits hard. This film does a great job in illustrating not only the emotional ramifications that can come with abortion, but also illustrates the risks, the close calls, and the real dangers that loom behind those doors. Many high risks are taken from behind those doors, and this film addresses many of them from an insider’s experience, which in turn has in and of itself, stirred up a firestorm of politics surrounding this film.
Politics to Reduce its Outreach:
Last year, when the film came out in theaters, I never heard of it. I heard about it from a co-worker who in turn heard about it on Relevant Radio. I looked into it, found it, and saw it in the theater, and was just enamored by how well done it really was. And I also liked how raw and honest it was from every angle. So, I could see how and why this movie would be maligned, trashed, ridiculed, and/or made a bit more difficult to access than other movies. It has an impact, makes public insider secrets, and brilliantly illustrates a deeper battle between the sanctity of human life and significant profit margins for a large corporation with incredible financial backing and lobby support. This movie is also the first R rated film for the inspirational studio Pure Flix.
Out of 4 stars, I give Unplanned 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 1 hour and 49 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the link below.
Unplanned is available on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Vudu, and MovieSpree. For more information about the film and its availability, visit the official website for the film at: www.unplannedfilm.com
The Story:
Meet Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher), an ambitious and dedicated worker for Planned Parenthood, who moved up the ranks to become one the youngest clinical directors to work for the organization to date. On September 26th, 2009, Abby was asked into the clinic’s procedure room to assist in an ultra-sound guided abortion. What she saw in there changed everything she ever felt about the issue of abortion.
Flashback to 8 Years Before:
Abby espouses some of her parents’ pro-life beliefs… until they are addressed and challenged by a recruiter for Planned Parenthood. This recruiter tells Abby about the services that the organization provides, and that their clinics need volunteer help. After some questions and concerns are swapped, Abby finds herself signing up to be a volunteer.
Abby’s first day is an interesting one. With the facility surrounded by anti-abortion activists, Abby finds that her job would start out by escorting women and young girls seeking Planned Parenthood’s services from their cars and into the building without being influenced or feeling pressured in any way by the protestors. Abby’s hard work and ambition catches the eye of the facility’s supervisor, Cheryl D’Allesandro (Robia Scott) and within a matter of no time, Abby is promoted from volunteer escort to recruiter. Due to the results of her job performance as recruiter, Cheryl brings Abby to the P.O.C. room where pieces of a human fetus are taken out of the patient’s body and reassembled in a dish so as to make sure all of the parts are out. When Cheryl sees that Abby does not react emotionally to the sight of the deceased fetus, she is assured that Abby is the one she wants to replace her as clinic director, in the wake of her promotion as regional director in Houston.
And so, Abby becomes a clinic director, handling procedures, patients, budgets, crises, and all sorts of matters that leaders handle. Abby’s performance as clinic director earns her recognition in Houston for the “employee of the year” award. It is from that point, Cheryl demands from all clinics within the region to expand chemically induced abortions, double the amount of abortion procedures from the previous year, and “raise the bar” on performing procedures on terms from 8 weeks to 24. Abby is disturbed by all of this, as she believes that Planned Parenthood is designed to act as a health clinic with abortion being the last resort. So she asks Cheryl at the board meeting about the policy stated in the manual, and later, after the meeting is over, Cheryl scolds her. It is at this point, Abby finds out that Cheryl’s real motives aren’t focused on women’s care, but on dollars and cents. Cheryl tells Abby, “let me explain something to you. Fast food outlets look to break even on the hamburgers they sell. That’s all they do, is break even. Do you know how they make their money? On the french fries and the soda, the low-cost high margin items. Abortion is our fries and soda.” Cheryl goes on, “Abortion is what pays your salary. It pays for your matching 401k, your 4 weeks vacation, your ample sick time. Abortion is what pays for all of it… for you and your family.”
Things then sort of down spiral as Abby receives a reprimand out of nowhere for questioning Cheryl in front of other clinic directors. Much worse, she is called into the procedure room to assist in an ultra-sound guided abortion, and it is what she sees in there that triggers a turning point and changes everything she ever believed about abortion. From there, she seeks the counsel of newfound friends from the Coalition for Life, a pro-life organization that peacefully protests abortion in front of Abby’s Planned Parenthood facility, but things don’t end there. As Abby turns pro-life and now advocates choosing life in front of her clinic, her incorporating her experience from the clinic triggers a lawsuit from the organization, which then turns into a legal battle.
My Take:
While the issue of abortion is of a disturbing nature to many, this film does an incredible job telling a true simple story addressing, in a raw and honest way, experiences, matters, and concerns relating to the issue of abortion, telling it from a woman who once supported it, had an abortion herself, not once, but twice, and pushed ahead despite opposition from her family and her fiancée. What happened to Abby Johnson is what happens to many when the weight of the moral factor hits a person, and hits hard. This film does a great job in illustrating not only the emotional ramifications that can come with abortion, but also illustrates the risks, the close calls, and the real dangers that loom behind those doors. Many high risks are taken from behind those doors, and this film addresses many of them from an insider’s experience, which in turn has in and of itself, stirred up a firestorm of politics surrounding this film.
Politics to Reduce its Outreach:
Last year, when the film came out in theaters, I never heard of it. I heard about it from a co-worker who in turn heard about it on Relevant Radio. I looked into it, found it, and saw it in the theater, and was just enamored by how well done it really was. And I also liked how raw and honest it was from every angle. So, I could see how and why this movie would be maligned, trashed, ridiculed, and/or made a bit more difficult to access than other movies. It has an impact, makes public insider secrets, and brilliantly illustrates a deeper battle between the sanctity of human life and significant profit margins for a large corporation with incredible financial backing and lobby support. This movie is also the first R rated film for the inspirational studio Pure Flix.
Out of 4 stars, I give Unplanned 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 1 hour and 49 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the link below.
Unplanned is available on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Vudu, and MovieSpree. For more information about the film and its availability, visit the official website for the film at: www.unplannedfilm.com