Fantastic!

A Disappointing Continuation

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

"12th & Delaware" (2010 release; 81 min.) is a documentary delving into the opposing sides of abortion providers. As the movie opens, we are reminded it is "Fort Pierce, FL, 5 AM", and we see a woman walking around with a big sign "Thou Shall Not Kill". It's not long before we understand that on opposing corners in the intersection at 12th & Delaware, there is an abortion clinic on one corner, and a pro-life pregnancy care center on the other corner. The film makers follow the coming and goings at these places. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from co-writers and co-directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing. These ladies have built an outstanding reputation (and track record) when it comes to documentaries. Here they pursue the moral aspects of what each side is doing. For the pro-lifers, that means shaming, intimidating, deceiving, confusing, and outright lying to unsuspecting women who think they have walked into an abortion clinic. When asked, for the pro-lifers this is a completely justifiable means to get to the end result they seek, namely preventing abortions, period. It isn't until the second half of the movie that we get the other side's perspective: why do abortion clinic service providers do what they do? Regardless how you feel about the issue, your heart can't help but go out to the (mostly young and mostly African-American and Hispanic) women who time and again find themselves in an impossible situation. Check out the movie's last extended scene where a Hispanic woman, already a mother 6 (!) times over, approaches the abortion clinic... Just jaw-dropping.I had heard of this movie, but didn't get a chance to see it until I recently stumbled on it in the documentary section of HBO on Demand. Glad I checked it out. The film makers do an excellent job in "12th & Delaware", walking a moral minefield without detonating any of the mines. "12th & Delaware" is definitely worth checking out.

I went into this film somewhat expecting to be subliminally persuaded into one side of the issue or the other... I was very pleasantly surprised that it was almost sympathetic to both sides. There is no narration whatsoever, which allows the viewer to listen to both viewpoints only through the voices of the advocates on each side. I have always struggled with the issue of abortion personally, and I think this film does a great job of showing that there is a very real human element on both ends of the debate... No matter what the previous reviewers say. And by the way, I don't see any problem with a woman hearing both options before ending a pregnancy... There's no changing your mind after abortion, so I believe that taking a moment to hear alternatives is not wasted time. Very well done film making

First, my summary title is not hyperbole. Millions of taxpayer dollars have gone to these faith-based "Pregnancy centers," where the staff lies to women not only about abortion, but also about their individual stage of pregnancy (see: Congressman Henry A. Waxman's 2006 Report).All the patients are portrayed with respect, and this is an amazingly even-handed documentary. I would like to acknowledge the the success of the film's editing and cinematography -- at times, this difficult subject becomes almost pretty to look at. Occasional frames of curved distortion accentuated the fishbowl environment that doctors and patients are forced to experience.The lack of narration allows the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions. One group appears to act with the belief that the end justifies the means. I found the clinic owners calm and professional, particularly given the circumstances. Their refusal to engage in histrionics does not indicate a lack of concern, and any secretive behavior is reasonable given the threats that they face. The patients, defiant and poignant by turn, are the heroines of this story and their own.

Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady did a great job on Jesus Camp, where they showed the indoctrination of young evangelicals. Maybe too good a job, as they came out as caricatures instead of believable people.Here they take a softer approach. The battle for and against abortion rages on today decades after Roe v Wade established the right to privacy. This film focuses on the anti-abortion forces right across the street from a clinic in Ft. Pierce, Florida.This was an eye-opening look at the tactics used by the so-called "pregnancy care centers," who use all means available to try and stop people from exercising their right to choose.It was an excellent treatment of a sensitive subject.