October Baby (film)

Rating: PG-13

Directors: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin

Writers: Andrew Erwin (story), Jon Erwin (story)

Stars: Rachel Hendrix, Jason Burkey, John Schneider

Bibliography: Erwin, A., & Erwin, J. (Directors). (2011). October Baby [Video file]. USA: Gravitas. Retrieved October 21, 2015.

Genre: drama

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Plot Summary: 18 year old Hannah is beautiful, talented and loved. Aside from some rather serious health issues, life should feel fulfilling. Yet she feels the constant burden of isolation and emptiness, a lack of enthusiasm for life. After a terrifying health scare, family secrets are revealed. Hannah’s physical and emotional issues all stem from the same cause--she was the survivor of a failed abortion. Devastated by her parents dishonesty and the knowledge that her birth mother hadn’t wanted her, Hannah decides to seek the answers she believes will make her whole. With her best friend at her side, she follows a trail of information to find her birth mother and investigate the circumstances surrounding her birth. The facts she discovers unleash a hurt so powerful that she doesn’t know she can overcome. When her parents finally explain their reasons for keeping the adoption so secretive, Hannah begins to understand that every story has a perspective she may not have considered. She knows the ultimate path to her acceptance lies in forgiveness, but the act of forgiving turns out to be even more difficult than she ever dreamed possible.

Critical Evaluation: John Schnieder (of Dukes of Hazzard fame) gives an incredibly moving performance as the protagonist's father. With an intense level of believably, he became the father that every teen should have--one that loves his child above all else. The pain in his eyes at Hannah's suffering wrenches the hearts of viewers. Rachel Hendrix, who plays Hannah, is a natural in front of the camera. Her movements are not stilted or forced, but are instead graceful and instinctive. The scenes in which she is deep in thought, generally on a pier or a beach, are tear jerking in their beauty, simplicity and realism. Because the story line is so emotional, the setting had to be in the figurative background. Some movies depend so much on setting that it almost becomes another character, but in October Baby, the cinematographer was careful to ensure that filming, including angles, shots and camera movement, was just as natural as the acting. Overall, it’s a beautifully created film with a storyline and characters that stay with the viewer long after the movie ends.

Reader’s Annotation: Hannah is 18 when she finds out that she is the survivor of a failed attempt at abortion. Will her journey to find her birth mother provide the confidence she needs to move forward?
Author info: n/a

Curriculum ties: none

Booktalks: adoption; would you stand up for your best friend over your girl/boyfriend?

Challenge issues: abortion, parental disrespect, petty crime

Challenge resources: Library Selection Policy

• Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
• Active listening skills
• Awards
• Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
• Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
• National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
• Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: All teens struggle with determining their identity, but when a teen also needs to come to terms with circumstances surrounding an adoption, issues develop a much higher level of volatility. Libraries need to provide material that help distressed patrons find options, information and support and to give other patrons methods to develop empathy and knowledge around the topic of adoption.

References: October Baby. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1720182/