Reversing Roe (2018)

 

 

 

 

Reversing Roe is a documentary film which premiered on US television (Netflix) in 2018. The topic is the history of abortion in the US; a topic which can raise strong feelings one way or the other in the US.

 

The title is a reference to a legal case which went all the way to the US Supreme Court: Jane Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the Supreme Court issued a ruling which says that abortion is a constitutional right and that abortion is legal in every US state.

 

At the time, some people were strongly opposed to this finding. And they still are. Ever since the ruling was released, they have been trying to overturn or reverse it. Some of these people have money and power. They use their money and power to organize a national campaign with one single purpose: to overturn or reverse the ruling of 1973. Hence the title of the film.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Directors: Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg

** Run time: 99 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in this film. For practical reasons, I have divided them into two categories:

 

PRO-CHOICE

** Brigitte Amiri - ACLU

** Curtis Boyd – MD, gynecologist

** Wendy Davis – State Senator 2009-2015, Texas, Democrat

** Linda Greenhouse – reporter, abortion historian

 

** Donna Howard – State Representative, Texas, Democrat

** Kathryn Kolbert - lawyer

** Colleen McNicholas – MD, gynecologist

** Eleanor Holmes Norton – US Congresswoman, Democrat

 

** Gloria Steinem – activist, founder of MS Magazine

** Faye Wattleton – former president of Planned Parenthood

** Sarah Weddington – lawyer for the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade

 

PRO-LIFE

** Sam Lee – Campaign Life, Missouri

** Troy Newman – president, Operation Rescue

** John Seago – Right to Life, Texas

** Carol Tobias – president, Right to Life

 

Archive footage is used to offer extra information and supplement the statements made by the persons who are interviewed.

 

In this film, both sides are given a chance to present their point of view. The directors have interviewed more people who are pro-choice than people who are pro-life, but this fact does not mean that the film is one-sided. It is balanced.

 

Having presented both sides of the issue, the directors are allowed to take a stand on the issue and it is obvious that they support the side which is known as pro-choice.

 

What do reviewers say about this film? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

 

70 percent = Meta

74 per cent = IMDb

88 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

62 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

 

As you can see, the ratings are quite good.

 

When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a substantial difference between the professional critics and the general audience. In this case, I have to side with the critics. In this case, the verdict of the audience is too low.

 

When we are talking about a documentary film, it is not unusual that the critics offer a better rating than the audience. Perhaps the audience was hoping for an action movie?

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS. For more information about the topic, see the following items:

 

** Roe vs. Wade (1989) – a docudrama

** Lake of Fire (2006)

** Unborn in the USA (2007)

 

** 12th & Delaware (2010)

** After Tiller (2013)

** Vessel (2014)

 

** Abortion: Stories Women Tell (2016)

** Ask for Jane (2018) – a docudrama

** AKA Jane Roe (2020)

 

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