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After Tiller

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After Tiller
Directed byMartha Shane
Lana Wilson[1]
Written byLana Wilson
Martha Shane
Greg O'Toole
Produced byMartha Shane
Lana Wilson
CinematographyHillary Spera
Emily Topper
Edited byGregory O'Toole
Music byAndy Cabic
Eric D. Johnson
Distributed byRo*co[2]
Release date
  • January 18, 2013 (2013-01-18) (Sundance Film Festival)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

After Tiller is a 2013 documentary film directed by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson that follows the only four remaining doctors in the United States who openly perform late-term abortions. The title refers to George Tiller, a doctor who performed abortions and was murdered in 2009.[1][3]

The film was met with a positive response from critics[4] and was an official selection for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival,[5] where it won the Candescent Award.[6]

Synopsis

The film follows the daily work and lives of doctors LeRoy Carhart, Warren Hern, Shelley Sella, and Susan Robinson, the only four doctors in the United States who openly perform late-term abortions after the 2009 assassination of Dr. George Tiller.

Reception

Critical response to After Tiller was positive. It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to positive returns,[7] and went on to win the IndieWire Critic's Poll for Best Documentary Feature at Sundance.[8] It holds a 75% score on Metacritic indicating "generally favorable reviews"[9] and a 94% positive "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "It's an imperfect look at an uncomfortable subject, but After Tiller transcends its flaws by applying empathy, honesty, and graceful understatement to a discussion that all too often lacks them all."[4]

At Sundance, Alissa Simon of Variety gave the film a positive review, calling it "A rare feat… a calm, humanist documentary about a hot-button topic. Well contextualized and sensitively shot with extraordinary access, the pic reflects the personal, moral and ethical struggles of the doctors as well as their patients, and deserves the widest possible audience.”[10] The Hollywood Reporter concurred, with critic Duane Byrge writing that "Whether one is pro-life, pro-choice or without an opinion on the issue, After Tiller provides personal insight into a heart-wrenching, complex reality. The film does not pretend to be an answer to the abortion controversy but rather a presentation of the people who are demonized, correctly or incorrectly, for their actions."[11]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a positive review and described it as "a partisan document in the culture wars," but said, "It could hardly be otherwise, since the film’s subject, abortion, is one where common ground is elusive, if not philosophically untenable." He concluded his review with an observation shared by other reviewers, noting that "Documentaries can rarely be judged as works of dispassionate, neutral reporting since few of them aspire to uphold those journalistic criteria. Rather, a documentary should be assessed as a representation of the world as it is, from a perspective that is itself part of that world. After Tiller is impressive because it honestly presents the views of supporters of legal abortion, and is thus a valuable contribution to a public argument that is unlikely to end anytime soon."[12] Dorothy J. Samuels of The New York Times Editorial Page wrote on their blog that the film "takes a complicated subject beyond the familiar muck of abstract and often ill-informed talking points to deliver a frank portrayal of the real life situations of the physicians and their desperate patients."[13]

Sara Steward of the New York Post also praised the film and, despite noting that it "likely won’t be seen by anyone not sympathetic to the mission of these four [doctors]," concluded that "After Tiller is groundbreaking in giving voice not only to the doctors, but to those who always seem to get overlooked in the high-volume political debate about this topic: the women themselves."[14] Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com commended it for taking "the politically divisive, emotionally charged issue of late-term abortions and portray[ing] it with grace, understatement and humanity."[15]

Circumstances of Mothers

Various scenarios are mentioned in individual patient cases such as congenital disorders: Arthrogryposis, Agenesis of the corpus callosum, Walker–Warburg syndrome, Mowat–Wilson syndrome[16] and others: Pregnancy from rape, unable to afford a child, Teenage pregnancy.

References

  1. ^ a b "Meet the 2013 Sundance Filmmakers #31: Martha Shane and Lana Wilson Track the Lives of Third-Trimester Abortion Doctors in 'After Tiller'". IndieWire. January 17, 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  2. ^ Benzine, Adam (15 January 2013). "Sundance '13: Ro*co picks up "After Tiller," "American Promise"". Realscreen. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ "These Are the Last Four Doctors Who Perform Third-Trimester Abortions". thetakeaway.org. January 17, 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b "After Tiller". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  5. ^ "After Tiller". Sundance film guide. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  6. ^ Pamela McClintock, “Sundance: Candescent Films Announces 2014 Documentary Awards,” The Hollywood Reporter, January 18, 2014.
  7. ^ "After Tiller Debuts to Raves". The Daily Beast. January 18, 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Top Films and Performances of Sundance 2013 - Best Documentary Feature". Indiewire. January 30, 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  9. ^ "After Tiller: Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  10. ^ Simon, Alissa (January 19, 2013). "Review: 'After Tiller'". Variety. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  11. ^ Byrge, Duane (January 25, 2013). "After Tiller: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  12. ^ Scott, A. O. (September 19, 2013). "Heroes or Killers? Can We Try to Discuss?: 'After Tiller' Is a Documentary About Abortion Doctors". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  13. ^ Samuels, Dorothy J. (September 25, 2013). "See the Abortion Documentary "After Tiller"". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  14. ^ Stewart, Sara (September 20, 2013). "Documentary about late-term abortions tills new ground". New York Post. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  15. ^ Lemire, Christy (September 20, 2013). "After Tiller". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  16. ^ Adam, Margaret (November 26, 2013). "Mowat-Wilson Syndrome". GeneReviews. NCBI. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
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