ppauteens:

When it comes to most issues, I’m very confident in my stance. I feel like I can create an airtight case for why I believe what I believe. I would like to feel the same way about abortion, and especially late term abortions, but I don’t, and until I saw After Tiller that was something I had trouble admitting to myself. The film tells the story of the only four doctors who can and will perform third trimester abortions in the U.S. after the assassination of Dr. Tiller in Kansas, the leading doctor in the field. It’s a story that’s not often told, and what I loved about the movie was that rather than telling you how to feel about the late term abortions, it simply told the important story of the people performing them; their motivations, their struggles, and how it affected their lives. On top of that, it really made me think about how I felt about late term abortions, and the results were inconclusive. As a guy, I feel uncomfortable making judgments about whether a woman should be allowed to get an abortion, but there were also certain cases where my deepest instincts felt like the abortion shouldn’t happen. I think that’s the point of the movie, to make you think about the issue in ways you hadn’t before, no matter what side you’re coming from, and really that should be the point of any documentary. In that regard, and in many others, it’s a great film.

The other teen bloggers and I were lucky enough to get the opportunity to interview the directors, Martha and Lana, and that was great for a lot of reasons. First, they’re still in their twenties and really down to earth and relatable, so talking to them made it feel like WE could be making really cool and thought-provoking documentaries in just a few years. Second, they said some great stuff about how they wanted to illuminate the issue rather than adding flame to the fire, and how surprised they were at the compassion they felt towards the patients, and the complexity of their situations. Finally, they actually cared about what we thought about their movie. I think a lot adults discount any teenage input just because it comes from teenagers. They, on the other hand, were genuinely interested in our opinion, especially on one of the patients they followed, a sixteen-year-old whose fetus had no health defects, and that only encouraged me to think about the movie and the issues more. Even better, it made me realize that the most important thing is not always knowing where I stand on an issue, but instead taking the time to think about it, from multiple angles. It was a great film because it challenged me on multiple levels, forcing me not only to mull over late term abortions, but to analyze the way I think about important and controversial issues. 

Sam likes film, discussing sexual health, and blogging about his feelings, so he’s beyond excited to be working on this project.

Check out Planned Parenthood Utah’s Teen Council! They were at the Sundance Film Festival viewing films like Anita, After Tiller, The Square (Al Midan), Valentine Road, Fire in the Blood, Austenland, and Touching the Void.  Watch some trailers.

During the festival these teens blogged to examine how film can educate their communities about healthy sexuality. They interviewed filmmakers, advocates and journalists related to the films to learn more about how they’re made. Visit their tumblr to read more!