OCTOBER BABY

US, 2011, 107 minutes, Colour.
Rachel Hendrix, Jason Burkey, John Schneider, Jennifer Price, Jasmine Gray.
Directed by Andrew Erwin and John Erwin.

October Baby was very successful at the American box-office in 2011. This is somewhat surprising as it is a film made by a religious company. After The success of The Passion of the Christ across all denominations, there was a surge in moviemaking in the United States with moral themes, sometimes quite explicit, sometimes implicit. This is an example of the latter style of filmmaking, although there are strong morality issues as well as a specifically religious sequence.

The film was written and directed by Andrew Erwin and john Erwin who are following in the footsteps of the Kendrick brothers who achieved extraordinary popular and box-office success with such films as Fireproof and Courageous.

The plot focuses on a teenage girl, Hannah, completing high school. She suffers from epilepsy and has a turn on stage while performing in a college play. When the family visits the doctor, truths emerge that disturb the girl. It emerges that she was adopted by her parents, was born prematurely during an abortion procedure. It later emerges that she had a twin brother who lived only a few months. The situation is not helped by the strong stances of her adoptive father and she reacts in a bewildered and hostile manner.

The core of the story is her decision to go back to Mobile, Alabama, where she was born. A close friend takes her in a van, driven by his cousin (who provides some moments of humour and levity). There are several crises with other members of the group on the trip and Hannah decides to go alone. However she is helped by her friend, Jason. A series of encounters leads her to the nurse who assisted at the procedure and is able to give her further information, especially about her birth mother.

Her adoptive father intervenes and finally tells her more of the truth, especially about the twin brother. But it is her adoptive mother who is able to tell the story in a more humane way, which includes visits to a cathedral to pray.

One key scene is the discussion with the nurse, well played by Jasmine Guy, who explains the situation in a dignified but emotional way, a strong pro-life speech without aggressive polemics. The other key scene is Hannah’s visit to the cathedral, a Baptist going into a Catholic church. She encounters a very sympathetic priest who listens well to her story and offers her sympathetic advice about forgiveness, based on a quotation from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

The film is quite well acted, especially by Rachel Hendricks as Hannah. Jason Burkey is sympathetic as her friend, Jason. It is interesting to see John Schneider, probably best known for the television series, the Dukes of Hazzard, playing the stern but loving father.

The moralizing tone of the film will not appeal to audiences with a particularly secular point of view, skeptical about religion, but will appeal to audiences who are aware of problems like those dramatized but want and appreciate a decent response to them.

1. The popularity of the film with audiences? Successful box-office? The niche audience, the American religious audience, wider audience? Outside the United States?

2. The film makers, their careers, their religious affiliations?

3. The title, Hannah, her parents, the explanation by the nurse, Mary? Hannah’s mother, the documents, the dates, the references? The film based on a true story? The actress portraying the birth mother re-enacting her own story? How effective and credible? The credibility of the end of the film and reconciliation?

4. A message film, the message by story and characters more than by preaching? How effective with Mary telling Hannah the story? Audiences identifying with Hannah and her emotions?

5. The film for young audience, teenagers and young adults? Identifying with the characters, Hannah and her friends, her anger with her parents? The need of the truth for Hannah, her rights? Sympathizing with the final reconciliation?

6. The setting of the scene and the characters: the children, slow motion runnning and the field, jumping into the water? The return to this sequence with the older Hannah and Jason and their happy memories? The play, its pseudo-English tone and dialogue? Jason, going to the dressing room, encourage and Hannah? The disapproval of Alanna? The parents, father at work, the doctor, arriving at the theatre, the encounter with Truman? Going to the play? The opening speech? The lines, Hannah’s nervousness, collapse?

7. The visit to the doctor, the parents with Hannah? Her health, precarious? Epilepsy and seizures? The mother quiet, the father and the revelation that Hannah was born at 24 weeks, the issues of tissue, her illness, being adopted? In Mobile, Alabama? The certificates?

8. Hannah and her reaction, her anger, demanding the truth, the shattering of her image of her family? The importance of her diary, the pessimism, thinking that she did not belong? Her father taking the diary, sending the excerpts to the doctor? her embarrassment? The difficulties in coping, her parents finding it difficult

9. Jason, his friendship, Truman and his eccentricities? His even more eccentric cousin? Examining the van? The comic dialogue? Comic touches? Preparation for the trip, Jason suggesting obliquely to Hannah that they go to Mobile? Her agreeing? Her father discovering the truth, coming to tell off Jason? Yet Hannah’s note, her going?

10. The experience of the trip, the van, the group, talking, parking on the beach, the sign about turtle eggs, the police, the fine, Hannah and her plea, the policeman letting them go? The motel, Alanna sharing the room with Hannah? Alanna being unpleasant? Hannah going, Jason pursuing her with the car, her wanting to hitchhike? Joining him?

11. The decision to go to the hospital, the break-in? The arrest, the interrogation? The sympathetic policeman? The signatures, his recognizing the signature? Giving the address?

12. The visit to Mary, meeting her, talking with her, hearing the facts, her twin brother, the adoption? Mary, the long speech, emotional, persuasive, the message? Her not working in the abortion clinic after that?

13. The pro-life message, the value of every life? The implications about abortion?

14. Hannah going to the office, Mary giving her the address? Her mother as a lawyer, her age, experience, affluence? Hannah revealing the truth? Her mother taken aback? Her husband’s coming, rejecting her? Hannah’s seeing the child at the car?

15. Jason and Hannah at the beach, the memories, the boarding?

16. Alanna, her phone call, Jason returning, his leaving her?

17. The father, his coming to Mobile, his anger, forbidding Jason to see Hannah, the flight, the tensions of the airport?

18. The name of her twin, the amount of time he lived? The full story? Her father later taking her to the grave?

19. Her mother, telling her the real story, her pregnancy, the twins, the miscarriage? Her work, seeing the twins, their adopting them? The sacrifices they made, and her taunting her father? Her mother talking about prayer in the cathedral?

20. Hannah going to the cathedral, sitting in prayer, a Catholic cathedral? Her saying she was a Baptist? The priest, his greeting her, alert to her need, the value in his listening and not interrupting, his advice, his help?

21. The final reconciliation with her parents? Her father allowing Jason to ring?

22. Her leaving the note on her birth mother’s desk, ‘I forgive you’? The impact on the mother, her collapsing tears?

23. The impact of this emotion as well as complex moral issues on the popular audience?