“90 years or 90 seconds—part of us goes on forever,” we're told in the docudrama A Distant Thunder, which presents a vivid description of partial birth abortion within the context of a spooky courtroom drama. Pro-choice attorney Ann Brown is a troubled young woman, plagued by nightmares and frustrated in her attempts to connect with her obsessive mother. Asked to take a case against a physician accused of murder for straying from standard procedure during a partial birth abortion, Ann's views undergo a sea change as she elicits testimony involving an emotional and detailed description of the procedure. Meanwhile, the mystery of Ann's mother's mentally distraught state is ultimately revealed to be the result of an abortion. In the director's commentary, we are told that the film is intended to educate the public about the facts regarding partial birth abortion, but while that is a worthy motive, the film itself is overemotional and sensational (particularly the director's cut, which has a bloody, Psycho-esque sequence). While some discussion groups could find this valuable, there are other materials out there that cover the same territory without the excessive dramatics. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: H, P. (J. Reed)
A Distant Thunder
(2005) 35 min. DVD: $19.99. Parking Lot Productions (dist. by Vision Video). Color cover. Volume 21, Issue 2
A Distant Thunder
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