The low-budget indie film October Baby opened nationwide the same day as The Hunger Games and managed to finish in the top 10 at the box office. The New York Times calls it a "quiet hit" that is "making a dent at theaters across the country." Last weekend it expanded to more than 500 theaters, including eight in Minnesota, five of them in the Twin Cities metro area.
The movie follows Hannah (Rachel Hendrix, easily giving Jennifer Lawrence a run for her money), a college student who learns the unsettling truth about the circumstances of her birth and sets out to find answers. Filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin were inspired by the real-life story of Gianna Jessen, who survived a saline abortion and lives with cerebral palsy as a result (Gianna actually sings on the film's soundtrack).
October Baby is an impressive production, well-acted and emotionally satisfying, with surprising bits of humor mixed in -- "a film whose poignancy is hard to deny whatever side of the abortion debate you fall on," notes the Los Angeles Times. It is, more importantly, a moving testament to the value of every person and the liberating power of forgiveness. And 10 percent of the film's profits will go to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund to support "frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies, and those caring for orphans," according to the movie's website.
Those who have not seen October Baby should go -- and bring others. Go for both the entertainment value and the abortion-exposing, soul-healing, heart-softening message. And be sure to stay during the credits.
