Obvious Child

I attended a private screening of Obvious Child in Covent Garden Hotel, courtesy of Emerald Street. Its been a minute since my last review, so I was more than happy to enrich my cultural capital (and yours too) by indulging in a Sundance Festival acclaimed indie flick before its release this Friday, 29th Aug. Not much of an indie stan myself, but I'm over all-star casts after the flops that were NYE and Valentine's Day. So, in typical BLEURGH fashion, I will endeavour to abstain from any spoilers, but hone in on a few topical issues/themes I picked up throughout the movie, and hopefully you can share your opinion down below.

Knitted Cape & Boots : Primark | Shirt : Ali & Kris | Skater Skirt : River Island

The movie is centred around the life of Donna Stern, an aspiring 20-something comedian whose stand-up act is an unfiltered regurgitation of the intimate details of her life. Yes, she is brazenly blunt for a protagonist and I see the underlying point being made by the directors, etc...but I found myself cringing one too many times at the vulgarity of her speech or lack of decorum in her conduct. I found myself questioning the root of humourous material doled out by the greats such as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Kat Williams, etc. Yes, I understand there is truth in it, but it is so ludicrously entertaining that one cannot help but rule it out as far-fetched. Yet, the protagonist lives out the truth of her material on a daily basis, and it forces me to reassess whether the anonymity of comedy truly is the key ingredient in securing those lol's (please refer to #JadaPose).

The older generation watching Obvious Child, may be perplexed at the prospect of a woman in her late twenties still languishing in a dingy apartment, traipsing between her parent's abodes where there's guaranteed warmth, shelter and good food...but this is the present day reality for many graduates. Gone are the days of a good degree equating to job security or a straight path to self-actualisation. Au contraire, what us 20-somethings are faced with is an extended 'childhood'; kidulthood if you will. Studying sociology, I engaged in many a debate about the likelihood that the early noughties' 'childhood' (ranging from birth-16) was nothing more than a social construction. I'm afraid the age of worldwide legality starting at 21 could be under question too, as far too many individuals over that age bracket are still very much dependents (in the legal sense) of their parents'. This issue was cinematically conveyed to perfection when the protagonist strips to the bare minimum, plunging into the open arms of her mother to bawl about her current issues and be consoled by the scribblings of her adolescence.

Hat : ASOS (c/o Lolli) | Watch : Michael Kors | Necklace (not pictured) : c/o Twenty8Twelve

Lastly, was the issue at the heart of the movie; abortion. It hit home why this was ruled 'indie' once this issue arose. America is divided on this issue, and many political debates have centred around the Pro-Choice Vs Pro-Life argument. Obvious Child not only sheds light on the history of the legality of abortions in America, but also examines the woman's psyche before, during and after undergoing the procedure. Never before has the decision to abort a child been so romaticised in cinema. Think Juno (or any other teen movie); the pregnant party always gives it up for adoption into a happy home, or keeps the baby to raise with the love of her life. Yet, here is a paradigm shift where a woman takes ownership of her body and makes a choice in light of her circumstances. Thats a brave move for a movie, and worthy of my commendation. Be assured that the flick isn't as heavily ridden with underlying life lessons as I have discussed in this post, but if you've got a penny to spare and time to kill, I'd push you towards the cinema door to watch this.

"Creative energy sometimes comes from the lowest point in your life" Obvious Child