Synopsis

Donna is a young woman living in Brooklyn who has just had her heart broken, and after a spontaneous one-night-stand finds that she’s pregnant. She decides to get an abortion and move on with her life.  But on her way to the clinic, she happens to run into Peter, the one-night-stand who put the proverbial bun in her oven.  What follows is a great first date in an unlikely location, an abortion, and a happy ending.

Cast

Donna: Jenny Slate

Peter: Chris McHenry

Nellie: Karen Maine

Joe: Josh Ruben

Mustached Man: Aaron Lazar

Nurse: Nancy Rubin

Crew

Director: Gillian Robespierre

Written by: Anna Bean, Karen Maine and Gillian Robespierre

Produced: Anna Bean and Gillian Robespierre

Director of Photography: Rob Neislon

Edited by: Chris Pressler

Original Music by: Balene and The Giraffes

"The Obvious Child" Cover by: Nocoats

Sound Editor: John Moros

Color Correction: Chris Sullivan

Filmmakers Statement

After years of watching many films that featured unplanned pregnancies ending in childbirth

(Juno, Knocked Up, Waitress, etc.), we became disenchanted with the the way young women’s experiences with pregnancy were being represented in today’s mainstream media.  While we enjoyed these films, we were also greatly unnerved by the ways in which filmmakers (and our culture more generally) have elided the issue of abortion, making it a silent enemy, a choice not to be made.  We’ve been waiting to see a film

in which a woman makes the other choice, and there’s still a happy ending.  With “Obvious Child” we

wanted to tell a story of a strong, funny woman who easily makes the decision to have an abortion without feeling guilty or traumatized.

We realize that we are telling just one woman’s story- a story that exists within a privileged environment with regard to class and geography.  We weren’t trying to cover everyone’s abortion experience in this film; instead, we hoped to start a conversation in which others could also share their own experiences.  At public screenings and on the Internet, we have been witness to lively discussions about abortion and the media, and we hope that such dialogue continues.  We believe it is so important that realistic, poignant movies

with women at the helm find a place in mainstream cinema and continue to be accessible to wide audiences.

We hope you enjoy the movie!

Love,

Gillian, Anna and Karen

2009| Color| Video |21 minutes