New to VOD this week:
OUR BODIES OUR DOCTORS
Director:
Jan Haaken
World Premiere:
Portland 2019
Select Festivals:
Seattle, San Francisco DocFest, St Louis, AmDocs, Oxford
About:
A profile of several physicians who provide abortions.
With reproductive rights – chief among them, access to abortion – under attack across the United States, women seeking to make decisions about their own bodies face an increasingly difficult struggle. As filmmaker Jan Haaken’s somewhat clinical but informative doc demonstrates, however, they have allies in the form of abortion providers who are dedicated to supporting compassionate care. Believing that demystification can lead to destigmatization, Haaken offers clear and direct access to procedures, while still being respectful to the women involved. Her subjects speak frankly about the challenges of their profession, from intimidation to hurdles caused by hospital mergers with religious organizations to outright violence, but they show fortitude in their commitment to their patients. While the film’s survey approach robs it of the emotional resonance seen in other films on the same subject, it still serves as a worthwhile exploration of this critical but contested aspect of health care.
what (not) to doc 