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A movie that I was really impressed with in recent times was Obvious Child starring Jenny Slate and directed by Gillian Robespierre. While it could be billed as just a romantic comedy, it also focuses on the importance of friendship and dealing with the difficult and messy parts of life. Obvious Child is based off of a short film Robespierre made in 2009. What I loved most about the film was it felt very honest. Jenny Slate wasn't the usual static rom-com lead; she had human moments (more than just being clutzy or having a weird laugh--which is sometimes what Hollywood sees as "human moments"). The story starts right in the thick of things, but doesn't come off preachy or solely about abortion. I can't think of any other romantic comedy (Hollywood or otherwise) that has shown abortion and been willing to talk about people's experiences with it. Usually pregnancies in films are just scares or accidents that turn into exactly what the main character needed, even if that goes against all previously established logic and/or the character's viewpoint. 

 

In a really neat interview, Robespierre explains "We just wanted to bring a tone of authenticity and realism to movie-making in a way that we hadn’t seen in romantic comedies before, and bring a character to life who had previously always been sort of dull, and always blonde and unbelievable, and not relatable, and make that character somebody we recognize, that we could laugh with, and laugh at and relate to." Obvious Child was a tiny indie feature venture that utilized Kickstarter for funding, but grew so much further than its humble roots. This ties in with our discussions in class of following things you love and issues you want to talk about through art and through hustling you can accomplish it. Robespierre continues "[Obvious Child] was a real collaboration of women that we know, our own personalities infused." I want to see what she continues to go on to create because this is a great first feature.