Lake of Fire

Director: Tony Kaye
Starring: Noam Chomsky, Alan Dershowitz, Randall Terry
Genre: documentary
Studio: THINKfilm

Filling the void of objective films on the volatile subject of abortion, Tony Kaye's latest documentary offers more than just a balanced view on the highly contested debate. It explores the nuances of the issue, bringing to light the complexities and contradictions of being human.

Known for its controversial taste (with films such as The Aristocrats and Shortbus in its library), THINKfilm presents Lake of Fire, Kaye's first full-length film since American History X. Shot in black and white, the documentary that has been 15 years in the making covers a post-Roe v. Wade world in which both the pro-life and pro-choice camps have become well-established and well-versed advocates and lobbyists.

Clinics and courthouses serve as the backdrop to the oftentimes bloody battle, as fervent pro-life activists murder doctors and attack clinics. The most gruesome scenes in the film, however, are reserved for the graphic footage of the termination process. Kaye shows a doctor removing a fetus with recognizable human features from an anonymous woman's womb as she cries out in obvious distress. More disturbing images follow as the doctor reassembles the fetus in an irreverent metal pan in order to ensure that nothing was left behind.

Kaye preserves the delicate balance of opinions by covering the extreme positions on the religious right and the feminist left. For example, a pro-life priest launches a deranged tirade about society's decaying morality, claiming that elementary schools force girls to lift up their skirts and that clinic workers offer up babies to the devil. A few segments later, a pro-choice S&M-clad singer performs with her band and beats herself with a hanger onstage in reference to women who had no choice but to employ crude methods to terminate their pregnancies.

By exposing the outlandish and unreasonable activists on both sides, Kaye forces the audience out of its comfort zone. With each passing scene, presented opinions are attacked, affirmed or broken apart. Kaye cunningly uses two rival narrators to present the story of Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe from the landmark court case). As McCorvey provides background for the court decision that legalized abortion, the film regularly cuts to Flip Benham, the director of Operation Rescue, a pro-life establishment that was situated next to the clinic where McCorvey worked. The stunning twist to this story is magnified by a panning out of the scene, revealing a surprise that is sure to either anger or excite.

In an appeal to emotions, the film introduces Stacey, a physically abused twenty-something going through her fourth abortion. The previously overwhelming need to reconcile the positions presented falls away as Kaye secures the key shot:: Stacey, speaking into the camera after her procedure, assures herself that she made the right choice but is betrayed by her expression slowly breaking through her tough façade. The moment is beautiful and powerful and, within a single person, represents, and reconnects the audience with, the issue at hand.

Dramatic reveals and sensational characters aside, the documentary harnesses its authority through insightful contributions from such reputable figures as linguist Noam Chomsky and lawyer Alan Dershowitz. As they make sense of-or acknowledge the lack of sense in-the contradictory evidence presented, Kaye uses them strategically to transition from one position to the next.

Their sometimes lengthy commentary makes the already two-and-a-half-hour film seem even longer, but with a subject as complicated and problematic as abortion, the documentary's extensive running time might be expected. In fact, by the end of the film, facets of the heady issue still remain unexplored.

Lake of Fire raises questions that do not have an answer and overturns opinions once thought to be absolute. The film does not seek to offer a newfound solution or an enlightening explanation for the great debate but, at its heart, challenges audiences to reevaluate the very definitions of "right" and "wrong."