Katy Sharp Watson finds herself unexpectedly amused.
Unwanted pregnancy has featured in a number of Hollywood comedies such as Juno and Knocked Up. But abortion has never been seen as a suitable subject for romantic comedy – at least, not until Gillian Robespierre’s directorial debut Obvious Child (2014).
Perhaps you think abortion is no laughing matter and should never be seen as such. But this film’s touching and hilarious take on a difficult and delicate theme makes it a genuinely successful comedy
Impeccably played by rising star Jenny Slate, Donna is a twenty-something comedienne who uses anecdotes about her sex life as material for her act. Following a painful breakup, she finds herself pregnant from a one-night-stand. Should she keep the baby? The answer is a resounding ‘no’. Donna knows what’s best for her and is unapologetically sure of it. But if this sounds stone faced and lacking in humour, the situation is handled with such light-hearted wit that it becomes well nigh impossible not to warm to and care deeply for the film’s characters.
There is a still more remarkable aspect to this film: courage. Its explicitly pro-choice message provoked a strong backlash from anti-abortion campaigners in America who viewed it as pure propaganda. While it does have a message, Obvious Child is much more than a telegram. It is an in-depth character study of a personable young woman who lacks direction, struggles to maintain relationships, and finds herself in a regrettable situation which she alone can sort out.
All this and funny, too; a must see, obviously.
Obvious Child was screened as part of ‘Reclaim The Rom-Com’ at Genesis Cinema, Mile End. This was the debut event in the Bechdel Test Fest, a feminist film festival running nationwide throughout 2015.
In 1985, American animator Alison Bechdel created the ‘Bechdel Test’ – a method to examine the representation of women in narrative cinema. The test states that a film must contain at least two female characters, both with names, who have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the test, the Bechdel Test Fest is reviving and re-examining a variety of films, old and new, to see whether they pass.
Katy Sharp Watson is Rising East’s Film and Cinema Editor.