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Baby Steps Toward Change
In 1996, two films broke new ground by putting abortion at center stage. The black comedy Citizen Ruth and the HBO multinarrative If These Walls Could Talk approach the topic openly, going far beyond most films’ fearfulness.
Citizen Ruth accomplishes the unthinkable by making us laugh at the absurdities of the abortion wars, no matter how dogmatic we may be. Who’d’ve thought a work about abortion could ever be so entertaining and funny? At the same time, the film makes the serious point that individual women are overlooked in the furor over fetuses. The film definitely deserves praise for these achievements.
Citizen Ruth
On the downside, Ruth’s pregnancy ends in miscarriage, conveniently making abortion unnecessary. Although this turn of events doesn’t weaken the film (on the contrary, it preserves the delicate balance that allows the film to ridicule everyone and side with no one), it’s frustrating — as usual, we don’t see a character commit to abortion and go through with it on the big screen. And if we don’t witness that act in a brave film like this, we’re not likely to see it in many others.
We do see women choose abortion in Walls, which does a tremendous amount to bring such experiences out into the open (though, significantly, it appeared on HBO rather than in theaters). For example, the second act features honest talk about a past termination. When Barbara finds herself pregnant, she anxiously asks a friend about her own abortion experience:
Barbara: Julia, do you regret it?
Julia: No, I really don’t. You know, my friends told me I’d be depressed and feel guilty. Honestly, I was so relieved. But not everybody’s the same.
What a pleasure to hear these words! They convey essential information that’s missing from most American movies. First, lots of women have abortions — not only Julia but also her friends. Second, abortions might prompt a mixture of relief, sadness, and guilt, but this will differ for everyone; the emotional experience isn’t one-dimensional or necessarily negative. Third, women need not disown and condemn past abortions; instead, they can view them as valuable pieces of their personal histories. Finally, women can help each other through abortions. You would never know this from the way most movies frame a pregnant woman in freakish isolation, as if she’s the only one who has ever contemplated abortion. Such conversations help break down the "walls" that usually hide abortion from view, both onscreen and in society. — E.K.
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