Think fast: When was the last time you saw a film with an abortion plotline? Struggling? Yep, abortion and Hollywood don’t exactly go hand to hand, even less so in the perennially squeaky-clean genre of romantic comedies. But a new film called Obvious Child is about to change that, and a whole lot of other things besides. The film, which was written by Gillian Robespierre and came out today in America, centres around a recently-dumped, 28-year-old comedienne’s unwanted pregnancy after having a drunken one-night-stand with someone she’d just met.
The main character, played by Jenny Slate – who is previously of SNL and the girl many people are calling the new ‘Lena Dunham’ – is soon to be unemployed and in no position to become a mother, and knows immediately that she wants to get an abortion. The drama of the film lies in how Donna will tell her one-night-stand, Max, played by Jake Lacy, that she is going to abort his child at the same time as falling head over heals in love with him. Not exactly ideal timing, all things considered.
The film has already received rave reviews for boldly portraying the steadfastness of Donna’s decision – she never deliberates or miserably dwells on her decision to terminate her pregnancy – and portraying something that many women go through in a way that’s unapologetic and, yes, very funny.
Rather predictably, though, the pro-life conservatives that are so prevalent in the US aren't that happy. But Robespierre insists she had no intention of deliberately causing controversy: 'I definitely wasn't seeking it out — I’m not that type of person — but I just want to tell a straightforward story. And a story that would sort of talk about a choice that’s very unspoken in movies and also in real life. I think women are felt to feel shame around abortion and the choice to have the procedure. And regret. And there are other things: There are a hundred different outcomes and feelings — millions, not even hundreds — and this is one woman’s story and this is the story I wanted to tell.'
We're pretty psyched that it's coming to the UK, too - in August. Here's the trailer if you can’t wait until then.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.