Juno (2007)

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, sixteen year old high-schooler, Juno MacGuff, makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

3.8 / 5

INCLUVIE SCORE

4.5 / 5

MOVIE SCORE

Representation

Lynn Asare

May 22, 2022

4 / 5

INCLUVIE SCORE

4.5 / 5

MOVIE SCORE

Is “Juno” the Pro-Life Movie of the Century?

Juno (2007) is a story about a teenage girl who goes through a pregnancy, planning to give the baby up for adoption, all while figuring out her relationship with herself, her family, and a boy. The film is extremely funny, very well-written, and contains great performances. Yet the film is about a very important topic, one that is extremely relevant now: women’s reproductive rights. Is this Oscar-winning film spreading a pro-life or pro-choice message to its audience? At face value, this movie seems pro-life. At the beginning of the film, Juno is set to get an abortion and not have the baby, but then one of her peers who is protesting outside the clinic convinces her to go through with the pregnancy. The movie follows her pregnancy journey and we see how supportive and down-to-earth her parents are with the situation, how the boy she got pregnant with supports and loves her, and how the adoptive mom is both excited to be a mom and how much she appreciates Juno’s pregnancy. Juno also develops a bond with the man-child that is the adoptive mom’s husband (or ex-husband). Ultimately, the movie shows the best possible scenario of teen pregnancy through many different angles, much different from how they typically are in reality. It shows how Juno being pregnant brings her family closer, brings her closer to her boyfriend, and how it brings happiness to families who want children. It appears in a way to be pro-life propaganda. However, at the end of the day, Juno made her choice. Although she changed her mind on having a child because of the lone protester, she chose to have the baby because she wanted to. She had the option of having an abortion, and when she decided on the new path she was planning on going with, she was very adamant about it. Just because she gave birth does not mean that this movie is spreading a pro-life message. It’s pro-choice because she chose life. Juno is a very determined person and she felt that she would be fine having a child. Other people may not, and that’s okay. That's why we have a choice and why women should always have a choice. It’s just as important to have movies about teens who get abortions because they choose to and movies about teens who have them. All situations are different, and all women are different, and the decisions they make about their body is theirs and theirs only.

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Reclaiming Her Body: "Jennifer’s Body" & Why We Need Diverse Storytellers

May 17, 2021

TW: Sexual Assault & Misogny // Spoilers Ahead

The height of subversive horror cinema is Jennifer’s Body. No, I will never budge on that. Yes, Cabin in The Woods is funny, Scream is very well made, and the Scary Movie franchise is …. there. But nothing is quite as satisfying as watching the teenage succubus that is Jennifer Check rip apart boys. In the post #metoo era where the industry is far from changed, watching revenge flicks like these is probably one of the most cathartic experiences due to the slow-moving progress being made. This 2009 film was so far ahead of its time and continues to be the ultimate metaphor, both on and off the screen, for revenge against misogynistic Hollywood. Megan Fox, the perfect casting choice, leads the film as Jennifer — whose body she reclaims power over after an assault by using it to seduce the men in the small town of Devil’s Kettle to their deaths. She feeds on their frightened, vulnerable (and rather unintelligent) souls and sustains her good looks through this. Her best friend, Needy Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried), is caught in between her moral reservations about her BFF’s murder spree and grappling with her own “loyalty” toward Jennifer (hint: it's not just gal-pal platonic-ness). The film examines so many themes concerning romantic leanings in female “friendships,” sexual assault, and female empowerment all without falling victim to the male gaze or objectifying its stars. At its core, it's a fulfilling tale of revenge upon the perpetrators of misogyny and about young women finding their own justice in a world that is aimed against them.

The cast and crew being primarily made up of women is one of the reasons the film feels much more authentic and less exploitative than other revenge films such as I Spit On Your Grave. Director Karyn Kusama takes so much care in keeping the film from turning into torture porn (like the previously mentioned film) and instead focuses on the evolution of Jennifer and Needy. Needy goes through the classic She’s All That nerdy-to-cute transformation but also learns how to stand up for herself and use the succubus powers she later receives for good. Even Jennifer changes to the audience from seemingly together it-girl to the revealed abusive, power-hungry friend that she’s been all along — now heightened in her new supernatural form. Essentially, these women are given complexity that does not revolve around retaining their femininity. It’s about survival and testing the bounds of their tumultuous but co-dependent relationship. Standard horror films with female protagonists, usually written by men, make women’s unhinged struggles revolve around puberty and/or a need for male validation. This allegory examines a nuanced struggle in female friendships that can often lead to toxic codependency and the blurring of romantic and platonic feelings. Jennifer’s Body is the perfect example of why more diverse voices are needed in horror to give some truth to the framework of metaphorical storytelling that is central to horror films (I’m looking at you Midsommar). I mean, can you imagine Get Out if Jordan Peele was white?

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