Director Tracy Droz Tragos told IndieWire that she began filming in September 2014, when a 72-hour waiting period abortion law in Missouri was being prepared.[3] She said in a separate interview from Uproxx that the primary intention for the film was "not to make a political film but to make a film that was personal and that gave voice to women and patients and the circumstances that women face. To really wrestle it away from the political, rhetorical, abstract realm and return it to real women."[4] In an editorial for Time magazine, Tragos wrote that she had to set aside the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook for two years before filming.[5]
Release
Abortion: Stories Women Tell had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2016.[2][3] It was released in select theaters on August 12, 2016 in the United States.[1]
Reception
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 100% based on 14 reviews—an average rating of 7.2 out of 10.[6]Metacritic offers an average score of 78% based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Claudia Puig for TheWrap wrote, "[W]hile this well-made film is unlikely to change minds on the controversial issue, by giving women an opportunity to recount their experiences, Abortion: Stories Women Tell should, at the very least, least touch hearts."[8] Amy Brady for The Village Voice described it "a tearjerker, but it's also enraging".[9] Brian Lowry for CNN called it "spare and sober" though "unlikely to change many hearts or minds".[10] Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com gave a score 3/4, writing: "While Abortion: Stories Women Tell strengthens its clear pro-choice stance by allowing the other side some time in front of the camera, it is not an overtly political film ... it is the women and their stories that matter."[11]
