Movie Review: GIVE ME AN A

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: June 29th, 2023 / 12:46 AM

GIVE ME AN A movie poster | ©2023 XYZ Films Releasing

Rating: R
Stars: Alyssa Milano, Gina Torres, Sean Gunn, Molly C. Quinn, Milana Vayntrub, Jennifer Holland, Jason George, Jackie Tohn, Avital Ash
Writers: Meg Swerdlow, Bonnie Discepolo, Danin Jacquay, Matthew Tyler Vorce, Erica Mary Wright, Sarah Kopkin, Rowan Fitzgibbon & Lexx Fusco, Annie Bond, Madison Hatfield, Natasha Halevi, Megan Rosati, Savannah Scaffe, Avital Ash, Mary C. Russell, Danielle Aufiero & Laura Covelli, Loren Escandon
Directors: Meg Swerdlow, Bonnie Discepolo, Danin Jacquay, Sarah Kopkin, Monica Moore-Surviage, Caitlin Hargreaves, Natasha Halevi, Megan Rosati, Hannah Alline, Avital Ash, Mary C. Russell, Valerie Finkel, Kelly Nygaard, Loren Escandón, Francesca Maldonado
Distributor: XYZ Films
Release Date: June 29, 2023

GIVE ME AN A is a lively anthology that fits sixteen segments, not counting the wraparound, into a one hour and forty-minute running time. Nearly all of the shorts are set in the near future, though one takes place in 1776.

The “A” in the title stands for autonomy (as in bodily). While the subtitle of GIVE ME AN A is “A Reaction to the Overturning of Roe V Wade,” not every installment deals with abortion, that is a frequent topic here.

Natasha Halevi came up with the concept for GIVE ME AN A. Halevi also wrote and directed the wraparound and interstitials, which consist of a squad of cheerleaders, who hold up the installment titles, looking wearier every time we see them, until the grand finale.

Halevi also wrote and directed the segment set in the past, “Abigail,” which dramatizes actual correspondence between Abigail Adams (played here by Alyssa Milano) and her husband John Adams (Sean Gunn), while the latter was involved in creating the Declaration of Independence. Abigail thinks rights for women ought to be somewhere in the document; John thinks this is a hilarious and outrageous suggestion.

Some segments like writer/director Meg Swerdlow’s “The Voiceless,” “Medi-Evil,” directed by Monica Moore Surviage and written by Rowan Fitzgibbon & Lexx Fusco, writer/director Megan Rosati’s “Plan C,” and “Traditional,” written by Fusco and directed by Francesca Maldonado, qualify as outright horror.

Others, such as writer/director Bonnie Discepolo’s clever “DTF,” and “Crucible Island,” written by Danielle Aufiero & Laura Covelli and directed by Valerie Finkel, are comedies built around the notion of men being held as legally and temporally responsible for pregnancies as women are. Writer/director Mary C. Russell’s “Crone” is an economically told story of harassment and response.

“Our Precious Babies,” directed by Erica Mary Wright and written by Annie Bond, starts out like a sitcom but gets dark, while “Vasectopia,” written by Halevi and directed by Kelly Nygaard, is a singing/dancing extravaganza, anchored by Milana Vayntrub. “God’s Plan,” written and directed by Avital Ash, takes a fresh look at under which precise circumstances anti-abortion laws do and do not consider a fetus to be a person.

“The Walk,” written and directed by Sarah Kopkin, and writer/director Loren Escandón’s “The Last Store,” could be happening now. “Good Girl,” directed by Danin Jacquay from a script by Jacquay & Matthew Tyler Vorce, hints at a HANDMAID’S TALE scenario. “Sweetie,” written by Madison Hatfield and directed by Caitlin Hargreaves, has the zing of a good short story. Written by Savannah Scaffe and directed by Hannah Aline, “Hold Please” has an intriguing and affecting magical realism premise.

Performances and production values are all very good. There is also a pleasing consistency of tone, with the same cameras and lenses being employed for all segments.

There’s something here for pretty much everyone who espouses bodily autonomy, which we can hope gives GIVE ME AN A the prospect of a large audience.

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