“Lake of Fire”: my take

In Tuesday’s paper, I wrote an advance for the Center on Religion and the Profession’s screening of “Lake of Fire,” a controversial documentary about abortion from “American History X” director Tony Kaye. After attending the film, I wrote a brief last night on the screening and a bit about the audience’s reaction.

Reactions seemed to be mixed; I got the sense that those in attendance thought it was an important film but also an incomplete film. That was how I felt as well…I think it was admirable and ambitious of Kaye to attempt a project which would chronicle the attitudes of Americans on such a hot-button, all-consuming issue over the last fifteen years. However, I felt like the portrayals of those on the anti-abortion side lacked nuance and that overall, the film included far too much of the very shouting and stereotyping that Kaye seemed to be railing against.

As far as the much-publicized graphic content, perhaps I had geared myself up for the worst but I thought the scene most often discussed (where a doctor looks through a tray of fetal tissue after an abortion) was more bearable than I initially imagined (bearable being a relative term…it was still quite disturbing). I found discussions and images related to illegal coat-hanger abortions far more graphic and unsettling overall. The amount of disturbing visuals, though great, actually paled in comparison to the amount of disturbing speech on both sides.

So, I leave you with a recommendation to see the film but to take it in its proper perspective and to view it critically. I also leave you with a question posed by one audience member last night…is it possible for people in our country, of both sacred and secular traditions, to discuss this issue calmly and rationally? If so, how does it happen?