National Post (National Edition)
Road trip comedy with a twist
Unpregnant
Crave
Halfway through Rachel Lee Goldenberg's road trip comedy Unpregnant, the teenage protagonists swing by a carnival and climb aboard a whirling ride — not the most conventional spot for a heartto-heart, but that doesn't stop them. Gripping onto the ride's restraints, Bailey Butler (Barbie Ferreira) and Veronica Clarke (Haley Lu Richardson) yell to each other, and to the world around them. Bailey likes girls! Veronica is pregnant and going to get an abortion! They take turns yelling, “We're gay and pregnant!”
“I had this realization at a certain point, when we were prepping: It works almost annoyingly well as a metaphor for the movie,” Goldenberg, who directed and co-wrote the film, says of the scene. “They're having this intimate conversation about important things, but we put them in this totally insane situation and leave them to deal with it there.”
Veronica's unwanted pregnancy sparks the central journey of Unpregnant, the new HBO Max movie that begins with high schooler asking her former best friend, the rebellious Bailey, to drive her hundreds of kilometres to a New Mexico abortion clinic that doesn't require parental consent. Goldenberg never questions Veronica's decision to get the procedure, a firm moral stance that allows her to approach the subject with humour. With oddball characters and outlandish obstacles popping up along the way, the road trip winds up as zany as can be. Goldenberg cites both Thelma and Louise and Mad Max: Fury Road as inspiration.
This tone is where Unpregnant differs from most other films depicting the hurdles ahead of those seeking an abortion.
“The same feelings that made me nervous about the movie and made it seem impossible … also excited me about it,” Richardson says. “I was like, `Oh, wow, this is going to be a challenge. But if we do it right, and it even kind of works, then it can start some real conversation.' ”
Adapted from Ted Caplan and Jenni Hendrik's novel, Unpregnant was an especially personal project for Goldenberg, who notes she got an abortion years ago and can relate to Veronica's confidence and pragmatism toward the matter. Goldenberg didn't tell very many people about getting the procedure at the time, an unconscious decision she attributes to cultural stigma. But, Goldenberg says, “I'm a filmmaker, not an activist.” Her primary concern was to serve the story, and to mould the teenagers into well-rounded, nuanced characters.
Goldenberg offered the lead role to Richardson, who has landed diverse roles in such teen dramedies as Kelly Fremon Craig's The Edge of Seventeen as well as arthouse pieces like Kogonada's Columbus. She and Goldenberg worked together years ago on the set of a Lifetime movie about escaping polygamy and, upon reuniting for Unpregnant, developed a creative rapport that helped ensure Veronica didn't become an uptight, popular kid stereotype.
“To be honest, I found Veronica pretty annoying at first,” Richardson says. “But in the collaboration and trying to understand her, that's when I started figuring out the things that I had empathy for her with. She feels like she needs to be perfect because of the pressure she puts on herself and society puts on her, and the expectations her friends and family have of her. She just does not want to let anyone down.”