With reproductive health under attack, stories about strong women who are helping others feel like they are somehow more urgent, timely, and important than they have been in the past. With her documentary “Plan C,” director Tracy Droz Tragos follows Francine Coeytaux and her grassroots team as they struggle with their mission to expand access to medical abortion by providing and distributing “morning after” pills to those who need them.
Facing a mountain of government red tape, Coeytaux works with a group who is tired of reproductive choice and freedom being either withheld or completely taken away from women. This team uses their intellect and a collective brainpower trust to outsmart and carefully navigate the legality of their actions to guarantee no laws are being broken. It’s a film that’s inspiring but also infuriating, as it’s ridiculous that in this day and age in a free country, it’s something women actually have to deal with.
The film starts with a chilling opening disclaimer that some of the names, faces and voices in the documentary are obscured due to fears of prosecutions and violence. It will make you shake your head and wonder, “is this what our country has become?” The network is described by one subject as being similar to running their own drug cartel just to help people.
The film covers a lot of topics, and sometimes many of the important issues raised get lost in the process. The most critical issue is never drowned out, however, and that’s conveying the fear of the patients and the bravery of the network that provides assistance. It’s interesting to see the clever ways these women subvert the law, yet still remain legal.
There isn’t anything that makes the filmmaking here exceptional, and the topic has been covered in other ways before. But “Plan C” is one of those documentaries that feels like essential viewing, now more than ever.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 