The Marilyn Monroe biopic directed by Andrew Dominik features talking CGI foetuses that say things such, “You won’t damage me this time, will you?”
In a recent interview, Planned Parenthood blasted Netflix’s new Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde as “anti-abortion propaganda,” joining the chorus of critics who had little good to say about it.
This is according to THR, which contacted the group to get their opinion on Andrew Dominik’s new movie, which portrays Ana De Armas as a fictionalised version of the late Hollywood icon and depicts two unlawful abortions as a part of the chain of events that led to Monroe’s demise. (Including computer-generated talking foetuses that utter phrases like, “You won’t injure me this time, will you?”)
In response, Caren Spruch, national director of arts and entertainment engagement for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told THR that “it’s important that these depictions accurately portray women’s real decisions and experiences because film and TV shape many people’s understanding of sexual and reproductive health. Anti-abortion extremists have long contributed to the stigma surrounding abortion by using medically incorrect portrayals of foetuses and pregnancy, despite the fact that abortion is a safe, necessary medical procedure. In Blonde, a new film from Andrew Dominik, a talking foetus created using computer graphics is used to support the narrative.
Spruch continued:
The freedom and artistic liberty are respected by Planned Parenthood. False representations, however, simply serve to promote misconceptions and the stigma associated with sexual and reproductive health care. Every pregnancy outcome, even abortion, should be depicted in the media with tact, authenticity, and accuracy. To make sure that everyone who has an abortion may see herself on TV, there is still considerable work to be done. It is unfortunate that Blonde’s writers decided to support anti-abortion propaganda and stigmatise people’s medical choices instead.
Dominik has drawn criticism for both the movie’s substance (which is based on a book by Joyce Carol Oates) and the press he gave about it, in which he implied a basic disdain for all of Monroe’s films. In a recent interview with The Wrap, he addressed the abortion debate, saying that the movie is not anti-choice and that people’s dissatisfaction with how abortion is portrayed is a result of the Supreme Court just overturning Roe v. Wade. “If I had created the movie in 2008, nobody would have given a shit about that, and most likely nobody will care about it in four years.”