The Meaning of "Choice"

The Meaning of "Choice" is a 2008 short film released by Freedom Warrior Productions. It featured in the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, and was nominated for an award. The film's message is decidedly anti-abortion, and also points out the tyrannical hypocrisy of the pro-"choice" movement. The film alleges, based on the numerous real-life stories of domestic violence related to abortion, that the firmest believers in abortion are so dedicated to preserving the ideals of it that they have no respect for the decisions of women who choose not to have abortions.

Tagline: "In the world of the pro-choice movement, when it comes to 'choice,' life doesn't count..."

Plot
Young Angie O'Conner is a typical high school senior, who found herself pregnant after prom night due to her smooth-talking boyfriend. Unlike the evil real-life single mothers Ann Coulter writes about in her book Guilty, of which numerous such sociopathic women really do exist, the movie's Angie understands the pivotal part that her child's grandparents will play in the process of raising the child to be a societal role model, as that is the only way she can dodge the issue of giving the child up for adoption. Nevertheless, Angie realizes that her actions are the result of her own choosing, even though she was deceived and seduced. She decides to assume the necessary responsibilities and not let her child be a victim of her own poor choices.

Her boyfriend, Joe, is less considerate. He believes the only option that suits him is abortion. When Angie refuses to have an abortion, Joe lies in wait for an opportunity, and attempts her murder. Angie's brother arrives home in the nick of time, and greets Joe with a pistol.

We are informed at the end that the speaker at a pro-life rally, Sarah, is actually the daughter of Angie. It was Sarah whom Joe wanted dead all along. We also discover that Joe was arraigned on charges of attempted murder.

The movie's opening message is repeated: "For the most radical defenders of abortion, the act of abortion is the only real choice that they believe in."

Cast

 * Clare Michalik (pronounced: Mee-HALL-ick) as Angela O'Connor, a religious teenager who is taken off-guard with an unplanned pregnancy.
 * Scottie Moser as Joe Blackmun, Angie's cowardly ex-boyfriend.
 * Maria Michalik as Sarah O'Connor, Angie's future grown-up daughter, delivering a speech to a pro-life rally.
 * Collin Thompson as Rob
 * Patricia Ward as Mrs. O'Connor, Angie's supportive mother.
 * Michael Voris as Mr. O'Connor, Angie's supportive father.
 * Melanie Bruss as Leslie Berken, a news reporter covering Joe's arraignment.
 * Kristina Peake as Baby Sarah
 * Blaise Marable as The Tormentor (deleted scene), a manifestation of the Devil in Angie's mind.
 * Allison Marshall as Mother of Frank
 * Evan Thompson as Frank

Crew
{| cellpadding="5"

Grips and lighting assist

 * Nancy Thorn
 * Grace Neiswanger
 * Zyrek Castelino
 * Danielle Thompson
 * Collin Thompson
 * Evan Thompson
 * valign="top" |

Audio engineer

 * Zyrek Castelino - Chief


 * Nicholas Modelski
 * Amber Thompson
 * Annick Marshall
 * Allison Marshall
 * valign="top" |

Costumes

 * Clare Michalik
 * Scottie Moser
 * Annick Marshall
 * Amber Thompson
 * valign="top" |
 * valign="top" |

Set Design

 * Margaret Thompson & Family
 * valign="top" |

Hair and Makeup

 * Annick & Allison Marshall
 * valign="top" |

Other

 * Set photographer - Allison Marshall
 * Equipment - Ken Bean
 * }

Locations
The Thompson and Fagelman families provided most of the residential locations, using primarily their own homes for settings. St. Michael's Media, the San Marino Club, and Right to Life Lifespan provided most of the additional locations. BJ's Realty Company provided one of the two locations for auditions to be held.

Relevance to Dozerfleet
The Meaning of "Choice" being the Dozerfleet founder's favorite among the films at the festival, this site has awarded the film a Pathclearance Award. The Angela O'Conner character is the inspiration behind Tiffany Sterlie in Navyrope. Joe is the inspiration behind Garret Whaling in the same. Navyrope himself was inspired by the film V for Vendetta. His nemesis, FPB Agent Clarence Felick, was inspired by numerous film villains.

References in other Dozerfleet works

 * In Ciem 2, Candi refers at one point to the difficulty of her job by telling Donte that "some deadbeats will always break out [of jail], if for no other reason than their obsession for vengeance on the O'Conners of the world." Ciem 2 and the opening of The Meaning of Choice both take place in 2023.  The assumption, therefore, is that Candi would be well aware in her line of work of women in situations similar to Angie O'Conner's.

Note: Angela O'Conner's daughter in the movie is named Sarah. Coincidentally, the Terminator films feature a protagonist named Sarah Connor trying to protect her baby from assassins. Therefore, Candi's line can double as a reference to the struggles of Sarah in the Terminator franchise to protect her son.


 * In Navyrope, the titular character argues at one point with Tiffany that she is not the only one "whose boyfriend thought he could commit double murder to save his reputation in high school." He offers this as a defense for placing posters around the school alerting the student body that Garret is a rapist and an abortion coercer.

Criticism
Many comments about the film have claimed that the violence is not very realistic, nor is the audio very persuasive. More so, the film has been criticized for the depiction of blood at the scene of the crime, with one critic stating that a girl who had been stabbed that deeply and lost that much blood would have passed out much sooner. Also, if she had enough strength to pick up the phone, she would have had enough strength to dial.