Today I am going to be doing something I do not typically do on my blog. I am going to discuss a film that I have not personally seen. The reason I have not seen it is not because it wasn't available at a theater near me. I had to drive with my parents almost 30 minutes away from my home to see Room (2015), a film in which Brie Larson ended up winning Best Actress for because none of my local theaters played it long enough. Unplanned (2019) on the other hand was available at a theater just 10 minutes away from my house for weeks, even though it had an abysmal marketing campaign as most television networks refused to air its trailer or television spots. I didn't see Unplanned because purchasing a ticket for such a film is the antithesis to my ideology as a brother, son, friend and general human being. Many had expected Unplanned to fly under the radar and glide swiftly into cinematic obscurity. Unfortunately, that is not what happened.
Unplanned finished 4th at the box-office its opening weekend and exceeded box office expectations by making back its six-million dollar budget in less than a week. Then again, when Christian church groups throughout the Midwest are selling out movie theater for private viewings, whether or not those seats are actually being filled, is it shocking that such a modest film could achieve such feeble feats? That really is what Unplanned's entire concept is centered around at the heart of itself though, making the unsurprising feel shocking.
Unplanned tells the "true" (there aren't enough parentheses in the world) story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who left the company after witnessing first-hand a gruesome abortion of a 13-week old fetus. Abby then joins the ranks of a pro-life group dedicated to stopping Planned Parenthood in their crusade to destroy life for their own selfish profits.
The holes in Abby Johnson's story are so numerous you'd think they were in a mid-2000 Shia Labeouf film. Planned Parenthood's records do not match Abby's account of the events, which have changed over time to justify her argument better. Now, of course, we could argue that Planned Parenthood doctored the documents, but for what purpose? The abortion that Abby claims to have witnessed wasn't illegal, because abortion isn't illegal in this country, yet.
Side Note: One part of Abby's story that changed over the years was the race of the girl receiving the abortion in question. Abby later clarified that she was African American. We should then all applaud her for ensuring that when the film was made, she made sure they casted the role accordingly with an African American actress, except she didn't. The actress in the scene, along with most of the actors featured in the film is white.
Many have sought to accuse Unplanned of being a propaganda film. From the clips I've seen, including the pivotal abortion scene mentioned up as well as the film trailers and articles I've read about it, my assessment argues that it does not meet the criteria for a propaganda film. Propaganda films are made to dispense often falsified information to sway the opinion of the mass population. Unplanned seems to show little to no interest in changing people's minds on abortion. It's merely a film interested in giving a bullhorn to the emphatic opinion that life begins at conception and those who deny such a notion are complicit and sinful. There is no compelling thematic core to the film because its themes are seen at the surface level plain as day and are repeated through monotonous uninspired dialogue. Abortion is terrible, Planned Parenthood is evil, and we would all be the wiser if we stopped supporting a woman's right to choose what to do with her own body. Unplanned was made for one audience, and one audience only and those are the exact groups that "sold out" theatrical auditoriums for private viewings to watch it. It is a gluttonous, narcissistic, morally bias, snooze fest. And yet it should scare the Constitution-loving shit out of you.
What is frightening about Unplanned is not that it did well. We just discussed that the majority of audiences that went to go see it, already agreed with it on an ideological standpoint before they bought their popcorn and sodie-pop. What is scary about Unplanned is how candidly it plays with the truth and its sheer lack of interest in exploring any other perspective but the Pro-Life stance it unapologetically takes. It is not interested in race, health or economic class and how these crucial factors can influence and directly impact a woman's decision to get an abortion in the first place. Abortion is wrong, through and through, that's all folks, let the credits roll. It argues that Planned Parenthood makes most of its profits off abortions even though we know due to plenty of available factual evidence that this is an incredible falsehood, debunked years ago. The film never attempts to be self-reflective, to consider how its viewpoint may play a significant role in the very situation it is vehemently trying to prevent from happening. That is because the audience seeing Unplanned doesn't need a mirror held up to them. They know exactly who and what they are and could care less about the profound effects their imposing beliefs have on the health and safety of others. If they did, they would call out Unplanned and all of the lies and misdirection's present in its plot.
The states of Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri all presented legislation this week that would seriously constrict a woman's right to get an abortion. Doctors (and some patients) could receive jail time for participating in such procedures, even if they went out of state to do it. The high ranking legislators, Governors, Senators and other politicians making these incredibly rash and highly dangerous decisions find the concerns I listed above as inconsequential as Unplanned does within its narrative. Why might that be? Why do those who claim to hold life in such high regard show such little consideration to those who bare life itself? You won't find the answer to that question by watching Unplanned. You won't likely find it by watching any film or piece of episodic television leaning on either side of the abortion argument. You'll only find your answers by asking these people themselves. Inquire to not just the politicians, but the everyday folk as well, the people who bought a ticket to watch this extremely problematic film. Only through those discussions can we hold each other accountable for what we believe, and find some semblance of a "compromise that doesn't include violating a woman's right to make her own choices regarding her physical and mental health. That's the plan we should be making. For once, skip the movies and watch what's happening in the world around you today.
