USA,
1992, 87 min
Shown in 1992
CREDITS
- dir
-
Gary Bennett
- prod
-
Nanette Sorensen, Gary Sorensen
- scr
-
Gary Bennett
- cam
-
Karl Kases
- editor
-
Mallory Gottlieb, Suzanne Pillsbury
- cast
-
Linda Hunt, Jeff Daniels, Frederick Forrest, Betty Buckley, Graham Greene, Carolyn McCormick, Austin Pendleton
- source
-
Taz Pictures
- premiere
-
North American Premiere
-
COMMENTS
Nanette Sorensen and Gary Sorensen in person.
OTHER
The year: 2042 A.D. America has yet to be destroyed by external forces, but a conservative political agenda that began in the early 1980s has resulted in the criminalization of all abortions (now called “terminations” and “fetal murder”) and contraceptives. Rain Without Thunder offers a glimpse at what life in America will be for women if the current legislative and judicial weakening of Roe v. Wade continues. Shot and structured in imitation documentary/cinema verité, the film follows a journalist’s investigation of New York State’s first conviction, under its new “fetal kidnapping” law, of a wealthy mother and her college-age daughter. Through the journalist’s “interviews,” we learn of the history that led to a requirement for doctors and clinics to report all pregnancies to the state and of the state's power to obtain warrants to “search” those women reported to determine pregnancy or “termination.” Perhaps the most frightening aspect of Rain Without Thunder is that the restrictive legislation and social attitudes presented in the film are not from a sci-fi future, but from today’s headlines and Supreme Court Reporter. This makes Rain Without Thunder a cautionary tale, one that provides a realistic portrayal of life in the U.S. if women and their allies do not form a unified front to battle those who desire to control their lives.
FACTOID #92
In 1997, the 40 th anniversary of the Festival, four films shared the spotlight for opening night: Bliss, Love Valour! Compassion, Wake Up Love and When the Cat’s Away.
