When I was younger, I occasionally dreamed of going to America, the place where so many cultural references in modern society have came from. That all changed due to the dawning realisation that things really are not ok in that place, at least according to my eyes. The Nate Hilgartner written and directed No Choice (the first film he was written, directed and acted in) tackles the topic of the removal of women's reproductive rights, taking place in a state where abortion has become illegal. It might not have demons or zombies, there may be nothing supernatural or paranormal here, but No Choice may just be the most haunting and horrific horror film I have seen all year. Feel good this is not!
Hannah Deale stars as Amy, a young woman who through no fault of her own becomes accidentally pregnant. Already working two jobs just to support herself and her drug addict mum; Debra (Jennifer Herzog), and having dreams of attending college, she realises she is in no position to become a mother. With abortion illegal in her state, and with no one to turn to, Amy has to carry the burden of her situation, deciding whether it is better to put her own needs first, or bring a child into a cold and uncaring world.
From start to finish, No Choice was an anxiety inducing nightmarish descent into Hell. Obviously an indie production, this nonetheless told its story in a very impressive way, and with no bad actors to be found among the cast. In terms of horror, this is grounded, with all events appearing somewhat realistic, the only concession to the more fantastical elements of the genre coming from the many nightmare sequences that occur whenever the protagonist sleeps. There were lots and lots of these ultra surreal sequences and they were visually impressive and full of ideas. It is so easy to have dream sequences in horror films appear cheesy and generic, but these just added to the unrelenting tension of the movie. You could argue that this is where the supernatural element does appear, as the nightmares often hint at things yet to happen to the protagonist. Rather than taken at face value, these scenes are used as symbolism, such as when Amy dreams about a doll that happens to be dressed the same way as characters in The Handmaid's Tale. Some of the symbolism didn't quite work for me, in particular, fireworks used to symbolise something obvious early on couldn't help but make me think distractingly of a similar use in the Naked Gun series of comedy films!
Outside of these, the film follows a realistic path, split into different sections that have an in-scene title card that states what week of the pregnancy Amy is on. These felt similar to the in-scene title cards that occurred in The Ring, giving the feeling of impending doom. Special mention goes to the score by Jonas Tarm, this perfectly accompanies the slow drip of horror and terror the main character faces throughout the ninety five minute runtime.
The film world is represented as a bleak and miserable place, full of indifferent, cold, and calculated characters. When Amy states at one point to her uber religious mother that she feels she is already in Hell, it is hard to argue. Characters she encounters are all emotionless and harsh, such as Dr, McAnnis, an E.R doctor (Maria Prudente) who Amy tries to get advice from, but who only grudgingly helps, more concerned with the law than helping out a fellow human. Then there is her boss, Randy (Adam Ratcliffe), another character whose humanity is reduced by his view that staff that work for him should be grateful for their jobs, and unable to really see outside this narrow viewpoint. Even her friendly colleague, Lucas (Robert Denzel Edwards), lets the protagonist down in her time of need, though that later one did have redeeming qualities to his character that made me feel sorry for him when events happen. All these were well cast, in particular with Deale who is the standout actor here, making her character of Amy someone easy to emphasise with, and to really feel for, despite the mistakes she makes along the way in her harrowing journey. A last shout out to Hayden Frank who plays the character of Seth. He might be barely in the film, but he left an impression, and was refreshing for the character to not be a generic stereotype.
Horror has often been used as a mirror to real world changes and situations. From an outsiders perspective (living in the UK), America seems like an ouroboros, consuming itself as it falls into self implosion. Whether that is actually happening or not is above my pay grade to say, but the loss of female reproductive rights, and the insanity of a health care system that is so expensive and stacked against the poorer members of society is certainly a real issue, one that is reflected here in an unsettling and harrowing story. I didn't enjoy No Choice, it left me feeling like I had been punched in the gut. If you are after a fun and entertaining movie then this is not going to scratch that itch. If rated on entertainment this would not get a high score. Rated on the original roots of the genre; horror to horrify, this low budget psychological horror was very effective, especially due to its mostly grounded realism. This is a film that should be seen, but as I said in my intro, this is no happy watch. No Choice had its world premiere on June 23rd, and is to be shown at the GASP! Horror Festival for its international premiere on June 29th in Manchester, UK.
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