Preconceived

All Roads Productions

Reviewed for FilmFactual by Abe Friedtanzer

Directors: Sabrine Keane and Kate Dumke

Screened at: Critics’ link, LA, 3/6/24

Opens: March 9th, 2024 (SXSW)

The fight for reproductive rights in America has taken an unfortunate turn in recent years, defined by the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion. Even when it was still in place throughout the country, there were those who saw it as their mission to combat any progressive measures and prevent as many abortions as possible. Preconceived takes a close look at pregnancy crisis centers (CPCs) and the people who fund and run them, providing counsel, often under the guise of actually being an abortion clinic, to protect life at all costs.

This documentary begins with two women who were convinced to keep babies they hadn’t planned to have because they thought it was their only option. From there, it pivots to those who run these operations and who defend their right to operate in close proximity to abortion clinics as the natural competition between a McDonald’s and a Burger King. And they’re just as passionate about, in their words, defending the right to life and finding a way to ensure that unborn children are born no matter what reservations or concerns their mothers may have.

What this film does best is to present an angle much like the one being indicated in this review but without judgment of those whose behavior is presented as predatory. In part because they tend to be unabashed in their proselytizing because they want to spread their message broadly, they already tend to be willing to talk about the work that they do, but they seem to feel especially comfortable doing so in this space. Better yet, they likely wouldn’t be unhappy with the finished product, even if they’re hardly framed as the good guys in this story. The balance is just right, not permitting them unfettered airtime to make their case but instead presenting them as they usually are to create a fuller picture of how they do what they do.

It will certainly be upsetting for many people to watch this film because of the passion with which its interview subjects talk about their work to prevent people from having abortions, believing that they know what’s best in all cases even if a mother truly is not in a position to become a parent. In statements about the film, filmmakers Kate Dumke and Sabrine Keane stress that they believe in the “right to transparent care” and that they want to make “people think deeply across party lines and continue to seek out more information.” This film definitely achieves those goals since it shows CPCs and their champions for who they are without painting an additional villainous stripe to them.

It’s quite stirring – and unsettling – to see the subtle ways in which CPCs are most effective in getting people who walk through their doors to delay action just long enough to the point where it’s no longer an option, or to have them disseminate misinformation meant to be discouraging and to present too much of an obstacle, like that out-of-state travel would be required for a legal abortion. There are tricky boundaries and legal questions that exist but may not always be clearly broken in these cases, and there’s a moment in the film where one woman being interviewed actually leaves the room to ask a question to make sure that she’s not being baited before giving the wrong answer. That’s very rare in this particular documentary, one where everyone interviewed and featured is extremely eager to share their stories and get their message out to anyone who will listen.

80 minutes

Story – B+

Technical – B+

Overall – B+