Si les murs racontaient...

I love this film because it tackles the issue from both internal and external places. Arguments are presented without bias, no matter what some may say. My dad even thought this was a Pro-Life film. I clearly disagree with him and believe it's got lots of Pro-Choice leanings. Demi Moore playing a nurse who is totally alone with an unplanned pregnancy was excellent. Her fear and aloneness in the not so fabulous '50s was so beautifully represented. And it's like the other comment said, her "family" treated her more like an extension of their dead son than like an individual person. I'd rather have no family at all than one like that. Sissy Spacek represented a choice, in a decade where choices were allowed. She had it so much easier than Demi Moore's character, yet her struggle and ultimate decision were just as hard in a lot of ways, maybe even harder. Anne Heche and Cher play two women who are up against Pro-Lifers who "love babies". It reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw: "I love babies...born and unborn." Okay, great, but too many people who love babies actually hate KIDS. Once the child is no longer bald, pink and small, this passionate "love" turns into hatred and abuse of the worst kind. I know, I've seen it and I've lived it. Truly the most nerve jangling moment is at the very end of the film. Matthew Lillard is terrific as a psycho!!!

I give this film an A+++++

This film shows up as well now as I did when I first saw it in 1996 and was amazed. All those in the "demi moore can't act" camp should check out what she can do with the right material. She delivers an amazing performance in the first piece, giving those of us who dont remember a glimpse of the pre-Roe v Wade situation for women who found themselves in a less than desirable situation. Sissy Spacek is brilliant as ever in a lighter, though heartfelt and often ignored situation of a mom deciding whether one more child is what she wants. The final segment knocks me off my feet. Kudos to Cher for pulling together great actors and great stories.

Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek and Anne Heche play three very different women from different eras (the 1950's, 1970's and 1990's respectively) who are each confronted with the same dilemma. They're pregnant, and struggling with whether or not to end the pregnancy, with each story being set against the value system of the day. The stories are unrelated in any other way, but together they represent an interesting evolution of thoughts around the abortion issue.

Moore's performance is probably the one that brings forth the greatest feelings of sympathy from the viewer. She's a nurse and a young widow, alone and lonely except for the connection to her deceased husband's family, who has to find a way to deal with a pregnancy that was unplanned and the result of a one-time "fling" with her brother in law. Abortion is illegal, she has to avoid shaming her "family," and she can't just disappear for nine months to give birth because she has a job and little money. In the end she finds a shady abortion provider who does the deed on her kitchen table, and leaves her in a desperate condition - her fate remaining a mystery. This was the most powerful of the stories. Heche's character has an affair with an older, married man who wants nothing to do with the responsibility. She chooses abortion after a lot of soul-searching, but while it's legal in the 90's she's confronted by pro-life protesters at the door of the clinic who do cause her to think twice about the decision, although she ultimately goes ahead with it. With a best friend who's pro-life but supportive of her she goes falls into a scene of horror that seemed to me too expected and contrived. The soul-searching the character goes through, though, makes this a worthwhile vignette. The weakest of the three stories was probably that featuring Spacek. She's a mother of three in a happy marriage and re-starting her own education when she becomes pregnant again. This story revolves mostly around tensions within the family as all consider the potential impact of the pregnancy on their hopes and dreams. In the end, this pregnancy continues.

It was interesting to see the perspective on the issue from three very different generations.

Review: I quite enjoyed this deep, emotional drama which is set from the 50's to the 90's about 3 different women, Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek and Anne Heche, who all have problems concerning abortion. The first story, which stars Demi Mooore, is the most emotional out of the 3 because it was illegal to have an abortion during the 50's. Demi Moore's performance was brilliant and extremely real. It's a shame that you don't see the outcome of the first story, but it a very well written storyline that will definitely touch the heart. The second story, which is based in the 70's is starring Sissy Spacek as a house wife and a mother of 4 who struggles to have any time for herself because of her hectic lifestyle. When she finds out that she is pregnant, she has to make the difficult decision if to keep or abort the baby. This is another powerful drama that was very well made. The acting by all of the cast was great, along with the storyline which was also, emotional. The third an final storyline which is set in the 90's is starring Anne Heche as teenager who gets pregnant by a married man. She also has to make the decision if to keep or abort the baby, but she gets help from her close friend Jada Pinkett Smith, and the nurses at the clinic. This was also an emotional piece, which stars Cher as a nurse. In all, the whole movie is a right eye opener that was a great watch. Emotional! 

Round-Up: This movie came out when Demi Moore and Cher were in the spotlight and extremely popular. As this movie was an HBO special, it didn't get a major release in the cinemas, but it was talked about at the time. Personally, I hadn't heard of the movie, but I'm glad that I added it to my rental list because it was a great watch. The fact that the whole film is based around the same house was cleverly done by the director and the delicate subject matter was dealt with in a sympathetic and thoughtful way. Although the movie came out in the 90's, it doesn't seem dated or out of touch with matters of this day and age which is why it's worth watching.

I recommend this movie to people who are into there extremely emotional dramas about 3 stories based on abortion which takes place over the years in the same house. 7/10

All three of these short films are good, but the first is outstanding, largely because Demi Moore, whose performances I've otherwise never particularly liked, is so excellent. The point that she and Savoca convey - powerfully - is the sheer isolation, 50 years ago, of women who faced unwanted pregnancies. Moore spends most of the film, it seems, sitting alone in an empty house. Otherwise, she's enduring the company of her late husband's family, who see her only as their boy's widow, not as a human being. It's a frightening story that exerts a very strong empathetic pull.

The dialog is spare; Savoca relies on Moore's face and body language to convey her terror, aloneness and feeling that things are closing in on her. There's very little "emoting" here, which makes Moore's character all the more forceful. The result is an exemplary piece of film acting.

Of course, how much do we need in the way of tears and histrionics when we can see Moore attempting the old knitting needle cure, and later dealing with the aftereffects of a ghastly kitchen-table operation? This country's abortion laws created - and maintain effectively, in many places - a sort of hell for pregnant women. Thanks to this film, we can really understand a bit of what it was - and is - like.