Directed by: Tony Kaye
Premise: A documentary on the abortion debate,
interviewing individuals on both sides of the issue.
What Works: Lake of Fire is an extraordinary
piece of documentary filmmaking. As a technical piece of work, the film is well
conceived and beautifully done, shot in black and white, which of course ends up
gray on the screen, suggesting the moral ambiguity of the topic. It is also
edited exceptionally well, using sounds and images together and in some cases
against one another to foil oversimplified interpretations of the subject. Lake
of Fire accomplishes something that seemed impossible: an evenly balanced
portrayal of the abortion debate. Rather than coming at the issue from one side
or another, Lake of Fire is about the debate itself, including academic
and legal voices like Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowitz, Roe v. Wade plaintiff Norma McCorvey, and former Operation Rescue leader Randall Terry. The
film is not easy to watch; it includes footage of abortions being performed as
well as crime scene photos of doctors who have been murdered because of their
profession. And although this content is gristly, it is never used in an
exploitative way. Rather, the film uses these images to keep audiences and the
rhetoric exuded by the commentators from slipping into abstraction. Whether it
is the arguments in favor of choice or those who advocate the execution of
abortionists, Lake of Fire links the rhetoric to the actions that follow
from that rhetoric, and as such this documentary captures a snap shot of a
cultural debate that has been distorted and in some cases has spiraled violently
out of control.
What Doesn’t: Lake of Fire demands a lot
from its audience. This is not a film that can be viewed lazily. While that is
not a fault of the film, audiences should be aware that the filmmakers seek to
challenge their viewers and those who are true believers on either side of the
debate might struggle with the piece.
DVD extras: Trailer
Bottom Line: Lake of Fire is a terrific documentary although it is unsettling and requires a great deal of intellectual engagement by the viewer. It is an extremely important film that ought to be more widely seen, especially by those active in either side of the abortion debate.