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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2019)
March 6, 2019 Page 7 Arts & ENTERTAINMENT Portland filmmaker and clinical psychologist Jan Haaken’s documentary feature, ‘Our Bodies Our Doctors,’ tells the story of what it means to be an abortion provider today with threats of violence and political efforts to criminalize abortion. The film will premiere on International Women’s Day – Friday, March 8 at 8:45 p.m. at Whitsell Auditorium, downtown. Our Bodies Our Doctors A pair of rebellious teens (Zahraa Aldoujaili and Yara Aliadotter) discover the power of filmmaking in ‘Amateurs,’ a cross-generational comedy from Swedish writer and director Gabriela Pichler. The film kicks off the Portland International Film Festival on Thursday, March 7. Films from All Over the Globe o PinionAted J udge by D arleen o rtega My favorite part of the Port- land year has arrived! The Portland International Film Fes- tival (PIFF) begins two weeks of screening films from all over the globe this Thursday with its opening night film, “Amateurs,” a cross-generational comedy from Sweden. Most weekdays during PIFF it is possible to see three films per day and one can see four on the weekends. Every year, I see films at PIFF that never get a theatrical release, and often those films rock my world and end up on my list of the 10 best films of the year. If you’re a glutton like me, your best bet is to buy a festival pass, which gives you lots of flexibili- ty to see whatever is playing at a particular venue (Whitsell Audi- torium, Fox Tower, Cinema 21, Cinemagic, and OMSI). But you can also easily sample by buying individual tickets. If you go that route, buy online ahead of time at nwfilm.org to secure a spot. I’ve missed most of the press screenings as yet but can recom- mend two films to consider: “To Late to Die Young,” from Argen- tina, is a close observance of the coming-of-age of two teenagers shakily crossing the threshold into adulthood. The film is in- spired by director Dominga So- tomayer’s own experience spend- ing her holidays in a rustic and close-knit community of artists, musicians and performers liv- ing off the grid outside Santiago in 1990. It’s a languorous space with lots of room for kids to ex- periment with shifting identities. The film is specific in its observa- tion of adolescent self-conscious- ness, but not ground-breaking. There is not much in the way of plot, however, this film offers a nice combination of universal themes and very specific time and place. In Spanish, it plays on Friday, March 8 and Wednesday, March 13 at Cinemagic. This year’s only Italian film is “Dogman,” about a dog groomer, Marcelo, with a gift for working with even the wildest dogs, but who has met his match with a local hellion who drags him into more and more dangerous situa- tions. Its star won the Best Ac- tor award at Cannes last year for this performance, and he is quite captivating to watch--a mixture of impressionable and, in the end, determined, though not to a well-conceived purpose. Direc- tor Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) has a particular gift for capturing traps of male identity, and this film, if you can handle some vi- olence, is a fascinating character study. It plays at Cinema 21 on March 16 and 20. Darleen Ortega is a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and the first woman of color to serve in that capacity. Her movie re- view column Opinionated Judge appears regularly in The Port- land Observer. Find her movie blog at opinionatedjudge.blog- spot.com. “Our Bodies Our Doctors” tells the rarely-discussed story of what it means to be an abor- tion provider today: confronting threats of violence and facing intensified political threats and efforts to criminalize abortion. Religious control over health care is expanding, including in many pro-choice states. The abortion debate continues to be defined by gruesome images of the anti-abortion movement. In contrast, this film provides a cru- cial, hopeful point of view: An intimate glimpse into the lives of these courageous providers who have devoted their careers to ensuring women have access to skilled, compassionate care. The film also features Portland providers, often unsung heroes, who have taken national leader- ship roles in the fight for women’s reproductive rights. “Our Bodies Our Doctors” will premiere at the 42nd Annual Port- land International Film Festival on International Women’s Day – Friday, March 8 at 8:45 p.m. and again on Tuesday March 12 at 6 p.m., both screenings at the Whit- sell Auditorium in the Portland Art Museum, downtown.
