Last spring, the movie October Baby opened in limited theaters, surprising many with its success--8th at the Box Office and 3rd in per-theater ticket sales on the same opening weekend as the blockbuster hit, Hunger Games. October Baby came out on DVD and Blu-Ray last week, on September 11, so if you missed it in theaters, you can now rent or purchase the movie or host a movie night at your church.
My city was lucky enough to have two theaters pick up the movie in an expanded release in April. Our parish's youth group attended the movie together. I took my two oldest children and their two friends (who are siblings). After the movie, the youth group shared ice cream and great conversations about many important topics touched upon in the movie: the dignity of human life, forgiveness, chastity, and adoption, just to name a few. The conversation continued during our ride home, touching on those topics in a beautiful way inspired by the film.
The movie has a powerful message of love, the dignity of all human life, and forgiveness told through the experience of Hannah (played by Rachel Hendrix), a college freshman who just found out she was adopted after surviving a failed abortion attempt. Hannah isn't the only character who finds healing in the film--all of the characters grow in some way.
Her adoptive mother, played Jennifer Price (Grace), hasn't been discussed much in the reviews I've read. Hannah's father, Jacob (played by John Schneider) has gotten much more attention as he has a more central role in the plot development. Their marriage and their parenthood, however, are both truly heroic. I won't spoil the plot here, but I will say that the seemingly "small" role that Price plays in the film touched me in a very special way as a mother. She suffered a tragic loss, and then another tragic loss. She raised her adopted daughter, who suffered numerous health problems, and loved her as her own flesh. Her role reminded me of both the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. She raised a child who was not her biological child, just as Joseph did, answering a call from God (her "call" wasn't in a dream, but in a bulletin about babies needing a home). In another pivotal scene, Grace tells Jacob, "I think we need to trust our daughter." I could hear Mary telling the servants at the Wedding at Cana, "Do whatever he tells you," before Our Lord's first public miracle. She is a woman of deep faith and deep love. She recognizes the value of life. Though Hannah wasn't her biological child, Grace mothers her tenderly and lovingly, as the beautiful child of God that Hannah is. In my own parenting, on those days when I struggle most, I try to remember that even though I gave birth to my four children, "They are His, not mine. They are on loan from God, and I need to care for them with a deep, abiding love that reflects the One who gave them to me." Grace personifies God's love for his children in October Baby.
Abortion and adoption are touchy topics, especially during this election year when the current administration is touting its anti-life platform with great hubris. This movie handles tough topics in a very human, loving way, focusing on the freedom one gains through forgiving another.
Most everyone in the United States knows women who have had abortions, though it's not something they are likely to share. I can only imagine the struggles they have suffered--some with the father of the child and the nature of their conception, some with having "too many" children already, others with fear of what others would think. There are many reasons a woman would seek an abortion, and I empathize with their struggle. Many of those women may have made a different choice with counseling, with support from family and friends, or with church support. Many struggle with health and fertility issues related to the abortion, and so many suffer psychologically from the loss. Movies like October Baby give people on both sides of the political topic of abortion a chance to find common ground--looking at the "issue" in terms of a life that was saved and the love that grew through the lives Hannah touched on her journey to discover "who she is." The "Grace" in her life, her adoptive mother, helped guide and shape the baby who grew into a young woman with the power to forgive.
October Baby is a movie worth seeing--and seeing again. If you saw October Baby in theaters, buy a copy to share with your friends who missed it. If you missed the movie last spring, get a copy and watch it this weekend!
Thank you for the touching review of the wonderful movie! I took my dear daughter to see it in the theater and we had an excellent discussion.
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