October Baby (2011)

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I finally got around to watching this movie on DVD and am enchanted with it. Unlike most Christian-themed movies, it is not preachy; it just tells the story of Hannah, a teenager who has to deal with the shattering circumstances of her birth. I recommend it for anyone who has been involved in any way with an abortion, or is considering an abortion.It deals with pain, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness and love in a gentle yet compelling way. The actors do a splendid job. I never cry at movies, but found myself doing so while watching this one. Yet it leaves the viewer at the end with hope and inspiration.It's a beautiful movie and does indeed convey that every life is beautiful and worthy of being treasured.

Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) faints on stage doing a college play. Her father Jacob (John Schneider) works at the hospital. Her parents are less than forthcoming. She's told that she was a 24 weeks premature baby and these are probably the resulting complications. She's actually adopted and she was a failed abortion. She is shocked and only has her friend Jason (Jason Burkey) for support. Jason goes with his friends on a road trip on a VW bus going to spring break in New Orleans. After a fight with Jason's girlfriend, Hannah decides to go to Mobile, Alabama by herself followed by Jason.First and most importantly, this is an anti-abortion movie. It's really sincere. The film even has the "hate the crime, not the criminal" line. The revelation of the story in the middle is just too long winded and way too preachy. The movie grinds to a stop unless you're a true believer. You may be one who wants the characters to preach on. The kids on the trip are mostly stereotypes. The only thing missing is some weed. Take away the message from this movie, it is just a slow moving romance and a muddy search for birth parents. The dialog lacks snap. Rachel Hendrix is a lovely girl but there isn't much else in this movie. Jason Burkey doesn't have any energy. John Schneider is carrying too much anger and way too much emotions. He should let her space to emote but he takes up all of the space for himself. It should be about her but he makes so much of it about him. It's a melodrama only fit for the pro-life crowd. Otherwise, it's just too heavy handed.

I expected this to be your usual block of Christian movie cheese but was pleasantly surprised. Not 10 stars worth but a solid 7. The production values were quite good for a genre that usually looks like your cousin made it with his video camera using a script he wrote and friends from church as actors with maybe a Christian celeb thrown in.The road trip didn't come off well--worst hotel ever? Obviously those kids hadn't left town before. And they didn't seem like real kids, like the writers didn't know what real kids are like. Maybe like they only ever saw photos of college age kids.The sound track drove me bonkers--even though I've listened to my share of CCM, those days are over and those songs and the way they all sound the same are the reason why.The acting is pretty solid, despite a sometimes weak script--as when Hannah runs away from the group. Well, that scene was kind of meh all around.The message wasn't ham-handed, I didn't think. And I thought it was fair to all sides of the abortion issue. Others might not think so, but... I was happy not to be preached at. Some deeper character development from the writers or actors would have really pushed this movie ahead. But I've seen much worse.The depth of the topic held the film together. The most powerful scenes I think were the nurse telling Hannah the story of her birth and Cindy facing that moment of her life alone in her office. As a Christian, I always hope a movie made by Christians will be better than most, and mostly that is not true. October Baby, however, was quite satisfying to experience.

Facing so much violence and injustice, cinema is rightly considered a medium that should promote other values, those ones that may really occur an oasis of a more beautiful world, at least a world of more beautiful and appealing content. Yet, when we face such pro-life movies like BELLA or October BABY co-directed by siblings Jon and Andrew Erwin who openly admitted to displaying traumatic aspect of abortion, we usually feel at odds. Undeniably, such values as beauty of life, forgiveness, understanding, dignity are likely to find their appeal among vast majority of audiences. Deep down, many people feel it. Yet, they have not stood a test of time in cinema, unfortunately. Is it possible to handle these themes in a sufficiently captivating way? May simplicity occur to flee simplifications? Gary Goldstein rightly observes that the Erwins' production, as "faith-based anti-abortion drama" is "a film whose poignancy is hard to deny." Yes, at its core, the pro-life message seems to arise in its fullness and, as Jackie K Cooper points out, "it makes its point" doing it "through the story." Its simplicity makes it fragile and authentic along with the emotional resonance of the story and the convincing performance by the leading star, a newcomer Rachel Hendrix. Yet, flaws within the frames of the plot and some naive points of storytelling may lead some eminent critics perceive such movies as "amateurish" and "ungainly" (Roger Ebert). Indeed, the themes of forgiveness and other Christian values are far richer and complex as to be packed within 100 minutes and delivered convincingly enough. Therefore, such movies usually reach their spiritual crescendos in the last 10 minutes when reconciliation is victorious, everyone forgives everyone and all people smile of profound joy. How fake and unnatural! Sometimes, you don't know what to cry at and what to laugh at! However, there seems to be something more that makes the movie enjoyable though it truly may "lack sufficient entertainment value to make its message go down more palantly" (Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter)The story of Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), born as a result of a failed-term abortion which her twin brother Jonathan did not survive, captures our attention thanks to her three phases: discovering, struggling and forgiving. The opening shot and her fainting on stage appears to hit the note for the emotional capacity. Ms Hendrix is beautiful enough to make Hannah an interesting character from the start, unknown enough to make Hannah an authentic character and skillful enough to deliver some unforgettable lines of words and emotions. For a newcomer, the actress plays the role with surprising ease making it all an authentic looking drama. While her ways lead to forgiveness, she saves her scenes from unnecessary sentiments and flees any hints of imposed spirituality. She beautifully inspires emotions while spirituality goes from within. That is good, especially because the films of that sort should not be preachy but innately moving. Furthermore, she reduces the number of 'monologues' that usually occur fatal to such movies. The best supporting performances include Jason Burkey as her friend (turning into lover) Jason, John Schneider as her adoptive father and Jasmine Guy as a nurse who talks about her trauma of abortion's hell. Yes, Ms Guy...something more about her:Although she is supplied with the longest monologue of the movie, she is actually most appreciated by the critics. Jackie K Cooper perceives her role as provided with "emotion, warmth and empathy" and Roger Ebert, who lacks enthusiasm about this film, states, after all, that "Jasmine Guy's monologue here is so well performed and effective that we almost forgive it for being (...) a contrivance." Some background characters, including Bmac (Chris Sligh), the humor incarnate in the trip sequence do not leave a lasting impression and make the film "jagged in parts" (Jackie K Cooper). A nice cure to that comes the priest (Rodney Clark) who, by quoting saint Paul, parallels to the story's moral conclusion. Where does his truth reside? A nice little scene in church which transcends forgiveness and transforms it from definition into action, from words into deeds.The music score is packed with, what Roger Ebert calls, "middle-of-the-road pop-rock" and it is difficult not to agree with this opinion. Whatever appeal it might have had in its intentions, perhaps to address young audience or referring directly to the film's message and imposing certain feelings on us, it is surely unhelpful and destructing. But that is a case of watching the film and listening to the songs. Nevertheless, when you solely listen to the soundtrack, the experience appears to be totally different and the result is not that bad. So, what it suffers is the lack of music-story collaboration. These are two separate realities in case of October BABY.All in all, not beautiful in the true sense of the word but in its way as a pro-life whisper among too loud roars of death. A fresh movie, no masterpiece, no intense, in-depth psychological case study of abortion trauma but...that is not, after all, what we want of such films. It's easier for majority to feel its heart expressed in simple and meaningful lines of the finale, something that each child saved from the heartless act of abortion may say to his/her parents having come of age: "thank you just for wanting me." There lies the heart of Hannah's story, the heart of implicit motto "every life is beautiful." Can you, viewer, hear such a voice?