Caroline Friday is a novelist and award winning screenwriter with several film projects in development for both television and theatrical distribution. She is also a 2008 Kairos Screenwriting Winner for spiritually uplifting screenplays, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation. Caroline currently serves as EVP of Sixth Day Media, LLC, a film finance and production company headquartered in the Atlanta area. She lives in Marietta, Georgia, with her husband and three children and can be found at www.carolinefriday.com.

October Baby is one of the most powerful movies I’ve seen in a long time. It is difficult to review without giving much of the story away, but be assured that it is much more than a statement against abortion. It is an entertaining, fiercely-told independent story that at times has the look and feel of a Hollywood film. It left me boo hooing in the theater all the way through the roll of the last credits—and it wasn’t because the story was sad. The power of love and forgiveness is what touched my heart, igniting in me a compassion I didn’t know I had.

This movie is a must-see for every Christian, particularly the silent majority of women (and men too) sitting in churches every Sunday who suffer from the guilt and shame of having had an abortion. The statistics are 1 in 3 women by the age of 45 will undergo or have undergone the procedure*, and in many cases, multiple abortions. Sadly, most of them know that to openly testify to fellow believers of Jesus’ grace and forgiveness in this area could label them a murdering sinner who deserves to be kicked out of God’s kingdom. And so they sit in silence, as they have for years, muddling through their self-imposed condemnation, believing that God desires to punish them for having done such a horrible act—forgetting that all of the Father’s wrath and indignation was poured out onto the body of His son, Jesus, two thousand years ago.

October Baby hits that issue head on; while it does speak to the sin of abortion, it also paints a picture of ultimate forgiveness for the men and women who are haunted by the horrible decisions they made in the past. In this story, forgiveness comes from the innocent victim, the aborted baby, which is a perfect picture of the forgiveness of Christ Jesus—the perfect and innocent sacrifice for the sins of the world.

The movie stars Rachel Hendrix who plays Hannah, a beautiful ex-home-schooled college freshman who suffers from a host of psychological and physical problems, including a severe case of asthma. When a major attack interrupts a leading scene in a local play and lands her in the hospital, her physician and parents inform her that her condition is due to her traumatic birth. In just a few short minutes, Hannah’s world comes crashing down around her. She learns she was adopted, that she had a twin brother who was maimed from an attempted abortion and died shortly after birth, and that she barely survived that attempted procedure.

Drawing strength from Jason, a childhood friend and confidant, Hannah defies her over-protective father’s wishes and embarks on a spring-break road trip with Jason, his girlfriend Alanna, and a ragtag group of hilarious losers in a beat-up 70s VW van. Unbeknownst to them, Hannah’s desire is to get to Mobile, Alabama, find her birth mother, and discover who she truly is. The funny scenes along the way, as well as the smoldering romance between Hannah and Jason, make for good entertainment. The dramatic highs are tempered by fun-loving comedy and the newness of young love, all of which tug at the heartstrings. I was especially touched by her father’s affections and the great lengths he will go to protect her (wonderfully played by John Scneider). While her adoptive mother is loving and supportive, the unconditional love from her father is the focus in this film, with the romance with Jason taking a close second. Without their love and support, searching out her past and accepting what she discovers would be an impossibility.

Midway through the film, Jasmine Guy gives a touching perspective on a nurse’s view of abortion. Her character was the attending nurse when Hannah was born, and she describes the trauma of witnessing Hannah’s twin brother being aborted. It is especially hard to imagine a fetus’ arm being pulled off by forceps, but this is what is described, even though we are spared the gory details.

You may be wondering by now whether there is any entertainment value to this movie, but believe me when I say that the story will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially when Hannah locates her birth mother, an attorney in a prestigious law firm. At first, her birth mother agrees to cancel her appointments and talk with Hannah, but when her husband arrives for a lunch date, the moment passes and Hannah is forgotten. After another round of soul-searching, Hannah returns, but not to confront; this time it is to deliver a message to her birth mother. And that one simple message is the theme for the movie that brings healing and restoration to everyone involved.

October Baby is a wonderful film with a beautiful message that I believe will help set many Christians free from the guilt of their past. I believe it will also be instrumental in drawing in nonbelievers looking for a place of forgiveness for past abortions. The movie is compelling, entertaining, well written and acted, and is the best ministry tool coming out of the film industry since Fireproof, The Perfect Stranger, and The Passion of the Christ. I believe many, many of God’s precious children will be set free by this powerful film. See it today, and make sure you spread the word!

*Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute