Set in a single suburban house, this HBO production spans 40 years, comprising three stories that examine the evolution of a woman’s right to choose an abortion. The 1952 segment focuses on a war widow (Demi Moore) who finds herself pregnant after a brief encounter and desperately seeks an illegal abortion. Twenty years later, the house belongs to a married mother of four (Sissy Spacek) who is struggling with the discovery that she is pregnant again. Forced to choose between finishing her college education and starting the career that she put on hold for years or having another child, she also finds herself at odds with her hippie daughter. Set in 1996, the third segment focuses on an unwed college student (Ann Heche) living in the house who becomes pregnant by her married professor. The antichoice protesters surrounding the facility tragically impact her trip to a women’s clinic served by a devoted doctor (Cher). Directed by Nancy Savoca (DOGFIGHT, TRUE LOVE) and Cher, this film is a poignant examination of the evolution of the abortion debate, beginning with the tragedy of illegal back-alley abortions and ending with the violence so prevalent at women’s clinics today.
(60 votes)
2.
Virtually no one is ambivalent about abortion; the issue polarizes people like no other. HBO tackles the subject head-on with a trilogy of shorts, and, regardless of your opinion on the topic, If These Walls Could Talk is a bold and provocative examination of how the laws and attitudes about abortion in the United States have both changed drastically and remained so much the same.
Three women, three time periods, one house: each finds herself in trouble and must face the overwhelming decision about what to do with the unwanted pregnancy. The first segment is the most powerful, featuring Demi Moore as a young, recently widowed nurse in 1952. With no one to turn to and limited financial means, her options are few. Catherine Keener costars as her harshly judgmental sister-in-law. The next piece occurs in 1974, as Sissy Spacek, a mother of four who is trying to earn a college degree, discovers she's pregnant with her fifth child. Her utterly modern feminist daughter encourages Spacek to get a newly legal abortion, but it's a complex decision. In the final segment, college student Anne Heche becomes pregnant by her married professor. Her best friend, played by Jada Pinkett, is resolutely against abortion and the two wrangle over right and wrong. As the young woman tries to learn about her options, she finds herself enmeshed in the pro-life demonstrations outside the abortion clinic. Cher, who directs this segment (the other two are directed by Nancy Savoca), costars as a doctor at the clinic.
While trying to be evenhanded and demonstrating the different choices different women make, the film does have a decidedly pro-choice leaning. Yet the power of the movie is undeniable and it raises significant questions on both sides of the abortion debate, making it an important film for women (and men) everywhere to watch and talk about. --Jenny Brown
(56 votes)
3.
Regardless of your opinion on the topic, If These Walls Could Talk is a bold and provocative examination of how the laws and attitudes about abortion in the United States have both changed drastically and remained so much the same. Three women, three time periods, one house: each finds herself in trouble and must face the overwhelming decision about what to do with the unwanted pregnancy.
The first segment is the most powerful, featuring Demi Moore as a young, recently widowed nurse in 1952. With no-one to turn to and with limited financial means, her options are few. Catherine Keener costars as her harshly judgmental sister-in-law. The next piece occurs in 1974 as Sissy Spacek, a mother of four trying to earn a college degree, discovers she's pregnant with her fifth child. Her utterly modern feminist daughter encourages Spacek to get a newly legal abortion, but it's a complex decision. In the final segment, college student Anne Heche becomes pregnant by her married professor. Her best friend, played by Jada Pinkett, is resolutely against abortion and the two wrangle over right and wrong. As the young woman tries to learn about her options, she finds herself enmeshed in the pro-life demonstrations outside the abortion clinic. Cher, who directs this segment (the other two are directed by Nancy Savoca), costars as a doctor at the clinic.
While trying to be even-handed and demonstrating the different choices different women make, the film does have a decidedly pro-choice leaning. Yet the power of the movie is undeniable and it raises significant questions on both sides of the abortion debate, making it an important film for women (and men) everywhere to watch and talk about. --Jenny Brown
(51 votes)
4.
If These Walls Could Talk is a powerful, intimate portrait of how times and freedoms have changed. It will shock you. It will surprise you. And no matter where you stand on the issue, it will force you to think again.
A recently widowed nurse (Demi Moore) struggling to take control of her life in the early '50s... A mother of four (Sissy Spacek) overwhelmed by trying to raise a family and maintain a career in the '70s... A young student (Anne Heche) making a decision with the help of one woman (Cher) that will change the course of their lives in the '90s. These women, living in the same house at different times, share one thing in common - the decision they must come to on how to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.
(51 votes)
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