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Choosing Life at the Movies
2007 could be remembered as the Year of Pro-Life Cinema.
Mark Moring | posted 1/22/2008

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Original, perhaps, but is it countercultural? Brett McCracken, a film critic for ChristianityTodayMovies.com, thinks so.

"There is a general impulse in screenwriting to go against the grain," says McCracken. "Movies that choose life instead of abortion are going totally against audience expectations. So it may be that these writers are just trying to be a little avant-garde by presenting a conservative-leaning perspective. 'Countercultural' is a good word for award-seeking Hollywood films, but in terms of Hollywood's culture, pro-life is the countercultural position."

Whatever is driving Hollywood's writers and filmmakers, it's good to see more movies affirming the sanctity of life. And there's no denying the power of cinema to change lives—and maybe even to save them … including the unborn.

Mark Moring is the editor of ChristianityTodayMovies.com.

Related Elsewhere:

USA Today reported on the trend of pregnancy films.

Christianity Today Movies reviewed Juno, August Rush, Waitress, Children of Men, and Bella.

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DW	Posted: February 02, 2008 2:43 AM


There are not 'Pro Life' films, they are 'Pro Choice' They show the pregnant women excercising their right to choose and even that doesn't mean the writer/director is making a statement - lets not forget, most of these films rely on the pregnancy and birth to exist at all. Otherwise we'd be looking at 'Not-Knocked Up', 'Still No Children of Men' and 'August Who?'

Dana	Posted: January 30, 2008 12:17 PM

here's a strange interview with ellen page of "juno". how could such a sharp young woman think that a film involving teen pregnancy and the decision to not abort COULD be not political in the public sphere? baffling, but interesting. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Movies/article/298588 'children of men' is the single most life-affirming film i've ever seen. so much death, yet every death was filmed in such a way that each one MATTERED - like the scene just after the baby's birth where the apartment is being seiged by the military and theo and kee are running through the halls with the baby, and in the background, out of focus, just over theo's shoulder, a man is shot in the head and killed. small, in the background, and yet, it MATTERS. love this film.

Karen Goebel

Posted: January 26, 2008 3:16 PM


What an amazing dose of hope!! Thank you for your balanced perspective.

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