October Baby

Plot synopsis:
Hannah is a 19-year-old college freshman who suffers from epilepsy, asthma and depression. On the verge of her theatrical debut in a university play, she collapses on stage. Hannah meets with her parents and a doctor, who quotes passages from her journal that she has been feeling lost and unwanted. She learns that she is adopted and her biological mother tried to abort her.
Hannah seeks out her best friend, Jason, for advice. After sorting through her feelings and her options with Jason, she decides to find her birth mother. Jason invites her to go on a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana with a group of his friends for spring break. Hannah's father, Jacob Lawson, is reluctant to let her go, because of her illness. Hannah decides to go because she says she wants answers. She sets out on a journey that leads her to her birthplace, Mobile, Alabama. Jason helps her find the hospital where she was born, but it is vacant and locked up. Hannah pries the back door open and they are arrested. The sheriff lets them go when she tells him her reason for trying to get in. He gives her the name and address of the nurse who signed her birth certificate. She locates the nurse, who assisted in the abortion, and they have an emotional encounter while the nurse describes the circumstances behind not only her birth, but that of her twin brother, whom Hannah knew nothing about. She leaves the nurse's apartment with the changed name and workplace of her birth mother.
When she finally meets her biological mother, she is overwhelmed by anger and hatred because of her mother's rejection. Her father arrives to take her home, having found out she lied to him about being with others beside Jason, and about checking in with her doctor. He discovers their arrest for breaking and entering and tells Jason he is not permitted to interact with Hannah. Jason returns to the hotel where his friends are staying. He breaks up with his girlfriend, Alanna, and returns home. He phones Hannah's father and apologizes for lying.
Hannah's adopted parents go through their own pain and suffering, deciding to tell Hannah the details of their choice to adopt both her and her brother, who died months later. Her adopted mother had been pregnant with twins and lost them at 24 weeks. They saw an adoption request for Hannah and her brother at a crisis pregnancy center where she had volunteered.
Hannah wanders aimlessly until she sees a Catholic Church and goes in. She seeks consolation from a priest. Hannah experiences an epiphany and finds she is able to forgive her biological mother and forget about the botched abortion.
Jason takes Hannah back to the theater where she had collapsed and says they should finish the play together. Hannah realizes he wants to be more than a friend and starts to fall in love. The movie ends with them leaving to go to their college dorms. Hannah hugs both her parents and thanks them for wanting her when no one else did. She is seen smiling at her father and holding Jason's hand.

Tags: christian film

Review:
I did not have high expectations, but this movie totally touched my heart.All of the actors (except for a couple of the smaller characters) gave exceptional performances.
The story really makes you think, and I believe that the subject matter was fleshed out in a really authentic, heartfelt way.I don't know what else to say except that my husband and I both got teary in the movie and that we left the theater feeling good that we spent our money on "October Baby."I hope that many other people will take a chance and give this movie a try.
I have no personal history with either abortion or adoption, and this movie let me see into the real world of both of these experiences.
¨I have so many unanswered questions, questions I feel but can't even begin to speak because there are no words to express them.¨October Baby is a Christian faith based film about the power of forgiveness.
October Baby has the classic sermonizing moment near the end of the film that all Christian based moves have, and that may lead people to criticize this film, but it does get a graceful message across without being judgmental.
I don't tend to criticize movies based on their values, I do it based on the artistic approach and I think this film succeeds as a decent teen romantic drama.
October Baby was co-directed and written by Andrew and Jon Erwin with some beautiful scenes trying to convey their message about the beauty of life.
There is still beauty in the midst of brokenness and the only way to reach it is by letting go and forgiving.Despite the terrible reviews this film has received from critics it still has a better rottentomato score than most other films in theaters right now (Hansel and Gretel, Identity Theft, Safe Haven, and the new Die Hard film) and it was much cheaper to produce.
The film can feel like a Lifetime movie at times, but Rachel Hendrix 's performance stands out and lifts this movie to a higher ground.
This is a feel good movie that despite being preachy never feels like if the directors are trying to force their faith on the viewers.
Even though we aren't all going through the same thing as the main characters in the movie, the under lying messages apply to us all and are very helpful.The trailer caused me to expect a mostly heavy painful story line but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of well done comedy that caused the teens in my house to quote lines in the movie through out the week just for fun.The photography was some of the best I've ever seen.
I saw October Baby a couple of days ago, and this is a powerful movie that shows how God can bring beauty from our most painful experiences.
The acting leaves you wondering if you are watching a movie or real life.
The old "great movies" kept the audience engaged by the acting and the story line being played out.
It was SO WORTH the drive...October Baby is touching, truthful, beautiful and made me tear up because it gripped my emotions but in a very beautiful way...by the end of the movie i felt enriched and was so excited to share my thoughts about this movie.
Finally, someone had the courage to make a mainstream movie out of this touching and very sobering story.This is not what the typical pro abortionists would be able to class as forcing the pro life message down peoples throats; far from it.
It is simply a story told, based on real life events and features all aspects of the individuals lives who are involved.A pro-life movie that is also entertaining seems to be a contradiction in terms, but it manages to incorporate the usual features one looks for in a movie; laughter, sadness, hope, despair and of course possibly the most important message of our time: that every life is precious.Disliking this movie because of its message is nonsense.
It shows everything that's wrong with Christianity:antiscience; - an as cheesy as possible appeal to cheap sentiment; - paternal dictatorship; - the idea that some pastor can provide instant healing of serious psychological problems; - a whole string of is/ought fallacies.So predictably lots of zealots bleat how life-changing (or whatever) this movies is, while it only confirms their religious biases.
Maybe the shut in home-schoolers are just impressed by this because they aren't allowed to watch any other movies or television and, as a result, are just happy for an opportunity to see those new fangled moving pictures no matter how bad the script is.
I'm sure the movie will touch more hearts than most people might think....message is "you are forgiven" and that is vitally important.
I had the privilege of watching a pre-release screening of this movie earlier this evening, and I can say without a doubt that the script and acting provide an authentic and sincere depiction of life.
The main character is pitiful in more than one way and where drama was supposed to grip me (and let me just say that I am a crier) I just felt awkward about the acting and about the storytelling that wasn't nearly good enough to get me involved.The second reason is that for the most part of the movie I was angry at its clearly pro-life message.
If you're against abortion, I recommend that you order a better movie to support your cause next time.
Or strange dialogue like: (paraphrased)Hanna: "I've just found out I was adopted, and my mother tried to abort me." Police Officer: I know just how you feel, my wife's about to have our fifth child." Huh?The characters are flat and predictable.
This could just be since I was at an early screening which may have been a not-final copy, but it was often distracting.There are short spurts of humor, but they are often ended early, to go on with the main story line.After watching the credits roll, it was not surprising at all to see that the film is affiliated with a ton of pro-life organizations, and a huge number of churches.
When judging a movie as a work of art, one looks at the camera work, the story, the script, the acting, the direction.
I don't want to ruin it by revealing the substance of the interview, but let me say that it explains why her acting was so much better than everybody else in this film, and I think that the story she tells would make a much better movie than the one I sat through today.When I like a movie for its values, I recommend it highly to my parishioners and even sometimes arrange for group viewings at a local theater or at our Church..
If you want to see a great pro-life movie, stay home and rent 'Bella.' Instead of stars, I give 'Octber Baby' @@..
As a daughter who's father abandoned me when I was small and decided he wanted nothing to do with me, the message of feeling wanted and wanting to understand yourself when you have so little truth to cling to and no direct answers deeply resonates with me.As a pregnant mother holding my two-year-old as she slept on my lap through this movie, I recognized how fragile and beautiful life is.
I don't know why He abundantly blesses us; I don't know why I am privileged to this truth and understanding that life is so very good, but I thank the producers and actors of this film because I am so thankful for seeing God's truth through it.This movie is a blessing and my absolutely, hands down favorite movie..
Starting off a little strangely for me, I hung with it and it developed into a well directed, sensitive film dealing with issues of ethics and morality, the search for meaning in life for a disillusioned young woman, quality friendships and relationships, and the struggle for existential justification.
After college student Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) passes out during the performance of her play, she finds out from her doctor that that moment as well as previous ailments are related to her premature birth which forces her parents (John Schneider and Jennifer Price) to reveal that she's adopted and that she's the product of a failed abortion.
I'll stop there and just say that this was quite a touching movie about a girl's journey to find her birth mother and the painful emotions she goes through in doing so.
Besides the above players, I also liked the supporting turns by Jasmine Guy as the nurse who explains what happened during Hannah's birth, Jason Burkey as a close friend of hers, Rodney Clark as the priest who tries to get Hannah to forgive, and Shari Rigby as the bio mother.
Now, while I believe in a woman's right to choose (especially if the male partner wants nothing to do with the infant's life), I actually appreciated the way this film tells how dangerous such a choice could be, not to mention how such a choice could still be hurtful to the person who made it.
With the support of her faithful friend, Jason, and a belated confession from her parents, the girl comes to grips with who she is and is able to communicate God's grace to the woman who tried to end her life so many years ago.If your life has been touched in any way by the issue of abortion, this is a must-see for you.
Not at all the condemning kind of movie you might expect, this film shows the issue from all sides--the young woman with the crisis pregnancy, the clinic worker, the child and her adoptive parents.
There were a number of real-life lessons that I walked away with, and it does make you think about real life.Possible Spoiler - I was happy when Jason realized that Alanna wasn't really worth the drama she created; Bmac made me remember myself in high school and college (to some degree); you CAN get cops to give you a break sometimes (personal experience); glad Jacob realized you can't completely control your children (even when you want to)...
Very few times you see movies that reach very deep into your heart, this is one of them.From the very start of October's baby you can see that there is a lot of heart and goodwill put into this film that tells the story of a failed abortion and the consequences this child has to endure for her life, not knowing her origin but deep down suffering from it day to day, giving her a life of pain.The movie relates to our daily lives with simply characters that are constantly evolving through the movie, from what appears to be a drama with some "wanna be" comedic parts into a full blown drama in the last act.What stroke me hard with this one is how the movie is directed, leading you to believe in the middle act, that the movie will not resolve in a meaningful way.
the middle part has a nice moment though and that's the nurse talking, this is a one piece of brilliant filmmaking you won't forget.But, as soon as the third and last act makes it's entrance, the movie reveals itself like a carpet being pulled from right under your feet, making a terrible deep and profound third act in which I guarantee tears will flow through your eyes.The journey is amazing, the emotions flows beautiful in the third act and the movie itself excels like no other making an incredible ending.Oh BTW, please, be seated because there is more to this story than meets the eye and part of this complex idea depends on a couple of factors exposed right in the titles so, if you want more tears wait for the titles, this is, for real, a movie that will touch your heart no matter what age and belief system you have.The movie is seriously against abortion but the good thing about it is that it's not preachy and we really relate to the characters presented , specially with their emotions which are beautifully portrayed on screen.Surely the tight budget didn't affect at all and this is quality filmmaking you shouldn't miss, surely this movie does not deserve a 5 score like it is now...
The production values were quite good for a genre that usually looks like your cousin made it with his video camera using a script he wrote and friends from church as actors with maybe a Christian celeb thrown in.The road trip didn't come off well--worst hotel ever?
Maybe like they only ever saw photos of college age kids.The sound track drove me bonkers--even though I've listened to my share of CCM, those days are over and those songs and the way they all sound the same are the reason why.The acting is pretty solid, despite a sometimes weak script--as when Hannah runs away from the group.
The most powerful scenes I think were the nurse telling Hannah the story of her birth and Cindy facing that moment of her life alone in her office.
Every Pro-Life Movie is Beautiful, In Its Way....
Yet, when we face such pro-life movies like BELLA or October BABY co-directed by siblings Jon and Andrew Erwin who openly admitted to displaying traumatic aspect of abortion, we usually feel at odds.
Gary Goldstein rightly observes that the Erwins' production, as "faith-based anti-abortion drama" is "a film whose poignancy is hard to deny." Yes, at its core, the pro-life message seems to arise in its fullness and, as Jackie K Cooper points out, "it makes its point" doing it "through the story." Its simplicity makes it fragile and authentic along with the emotional resonance of the story and the convincing performance by the leading star, a newcomer Rachel Hendrix.
However, there seems to be something more that makes the movie enjoyable though it truly may "lack sufficient entertainment value to make its message go down more palantly" (Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter)The story of Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), born as a result of a failed-term abortion which her twin brother Jonathan did not survive, captures our attention thanks to her three phases: discovering, struggling and forgiving.
A fresh movie, no masterpiece, no intense, in-depth psychological case study of abortion trauma but...that is not, after all, what we want of such films.
It's easier for majority to feel its heart expressed in simple and meaningful lines of the finale, something that each child saved from the heartless act of abortion may say to his/her parents having come of age: "thank you just for wanting me." There lies the heart of Hannah's story, the heart of implicit motto "every life is beautiful." Can you, viewer, hear such a voice?.
The movie starts out a little slow, more like real life, but I promise you, it gets better and better.
Unlike most Christian-themed movies, it is not preachy; it just tells the story of Hannah, a teenager who has to deal with the shattering circumstances of her birth.
If you have pro-choice leanings you have already figured out that this movie is working a pro-life angle, and are likely to avoid it entirely.If we want to represent traditional values in the current media, I suspect having a character who is unwavering, but -not- preachy, sticks to their beliefs, and is accepted by those around them will be far more realistic and effective.
Probably a bit of both.Oh, and what with this being a RELIGIOUS movie, we have to have the obligatory scene in an empty church just before closing time, where the priest sits with a tearful Hannah on a pew and gives the most banal advice about 'trusting in God', the solution to all life's hurdles.
Rachel Hendrix puts a good acting job in this movie, just enough to depict Hannah's inner anxiety Jason Burkey gives a nice balancing role for the story to build on..
October Baby was alright, I don't agree with the views of the movie, it's obviously pushing a Pro-Life agenda.
The message of this film is so powerful and reaches much further than just entertainment.The acting: John Schneider fills the role of the father with superb acting and strong emotion, as if Rachel Hendrix is his real daughter.
The complete and utter suspension of disbelief (or brainwashing) required to buy even the slightest detail in this film?The main problem with movies made by Christian people is that they structure them around the way the feel life SHOULD BE, rather than how it actually is.
The only feel good part of this movie was when her birth mother rejects her.The story doesn't progress well and the dialog is bad.
When the local youth group I help out with decided to see it I chose to tag along and I decided to analyze the movie to keep myself busy.For those of you that do not know the film revolves around Hannah coming to grips with her being the product of a failed abortion attempt.
The plot of the film is the basic story of our protagonist discovering who she is after her parents for one reason or another covered up the fact that her biological mother had attempted to have her aborted which failed and then after having given birth put her up for adoption amongst other things as well.
As an assignment for the directors I recommend that they look at the camera work in some older dramas where what I expect to see is done.Overall is October Baby a bad movie?
At the end, the woman who plays Hannah's birth mother tells about her abortion, and how the healing happened right there - on film!
October Baby's plan, from what I can observe, is to pose a very good debate on abortion, pro-life, and maybe even dab into a little Christian theology.