Demonstrating anew that good intentions don't necessarily make for compelling cinema, this documentary about the travails of three abortion providers is far more notable for its sociological rather than its dramatic impact.
"Supported" by actress Julianne Moore, and donating its proceeds to two organizations -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Medical Students for Choice -- "On Hostile Ground" provides a vivid illustration of the professional and personal hazards faced by doctors who engage in the legal medical procedure. Receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at New York's Screening Room, the film will soon be distributed nationally. It benefits from favorable if ghoulish timing, thanks to the recent, well-publicized capture of the murderer of Dr. Barnett Slepian.
The film makes no pretense toward evenhandedness or even a wide scope. It focuses on the personal stories of three abortion providers: Richard Stuntz, an elderly ob-gyn living in Baltimore who has spent the past 20 years commuting to Alabama to work in clinics in Montgomery and Birmingham; Susan Cahill, a physician's assistant in a small town in Montana whose work prompted a bill in the state legislature banning physicians' assistants from performing abortions; and Morris Wortman, a Rochester, N.Y., gynecologist who hasn't let numerous death threats prevent him from providing abortions and lecturing about his motivations.
The three subjects are indeed well-chosen. Providing a generational, even geographic, cross-section, they are articulate and sympathetic, and their accounts of their fears in the face of numerous threats are harrowing without being self-aggrandizing or overly melodramatic. Indeed, their stoicism and resoluteness in the face of the often violently expressed disapproval of others, is the most moving element of the film. The film supports their individual histories with a litany of statistics detailing the commonality of the dangers faced by abortion providers in this country.
Still, it's hard not to wish that the film had widened its scope a little, providing more in the way of context and variety. And its aim of humanizing abortion providers, while admirable, will seem obvious to those in favor of women's rights and immaterial to those who aren't. As the film all too vividly makes clear, the battle continues, and casualties will continue to mount.
ON HOSTILE GROUND
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producers: Liz Mermin, Jenny Raskin
Producer: Catherine Gund
Camera/sound/sditing: Liz Mermin, Jenny Raskin
Music: Tom Verlaine
Color/stereo
Running time -- 73 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Supported" by actress Julianne Moore, and donating its proceeds to two organizations -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Medical Students for Choice -- "On Hostile Ground" provides a vivid illustration of the professional and personal hazards faced by doctors who engage in the legal medical procedure. Receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at New York's Screening Room, the film will soon be distributed nationally. It benefits from favorable if ghoulish timing, thanks to the recent, well-publicized capture of the murderer of Dr. Barnett Slepian.
The film makes no pretense toward evenhandedness or even a wide scope. It focuses on the personal stories of three abortion providers: Richard Stuntz, an elderly ob-gyn living in Baltimore who has spent the past 20 years commuting to Alabama to work in clinics in Montgomery and Birmingham; Susan Cahill, a physician's assistant in a small town in Montana whose work prompted a bill in the state legislature banning physicians' assistants from performing abortions; and Morris Wortman, a Rochester, N.Y., gynecologist who hasn't let numerous death threats prevent him from providing abortions and lecturing about his motivations.
The three subjects are indeed well-chosen. Providing a generational, even geographic, cross-section, they are articulate and sympathetic, and their accounts of their fears in the face of numerous threats are harrowing without being self-aggrandizing or overly melodramatic. Indeed, their stoicism and resoluteness in the face of the often violently expressed disapproval of others, is the most moving element of the film. The film supports their individual histories with a litany of statistics detailing the commonality of the dangers faced by abortion providers in this country.
Still, it's hard not to wish that the film had widened its scope a little, providing more in the way of context and variety. And its aim of humanizing abortion providers, while admirable, will seem obvious to those in favor of women's rights and immaterial to those who aren't. As the film all too vividly makes clear, the battle continues, and casualties will continue to mount.
ON HOSTILE GROUND
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producers: Liz Mermin, Jenny Raskin
Producer: Catherine Gund
Camera/sound/sditing: Liz Mermin, Jenny Raskin
Music: Tom Verlaine
Color/stereo
Running time -- 73 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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