A Political Pawn

by Cynthia Baber

Citizen Ruth is a film about a woman who is homeless, addicted to huffing and has four kids that have been taken away from her. She ends up pregnant and in jail again. The judge who is aware of her current predicament and her past incarcerations advises her to get an abortion so she can start fixing her life.

Ruth meets some religious anti-abortion/pro-life women while struggling with her decision in jail. She is taken in by one of these women with the intention of Ruth to be the example for their movement despite her obvious character flaws. As the movie progresses, the pro-choice movement comes into play. They take in Ruth in hopes to help her get the abortion she wants. They also want to use her as a symbol for their movement within this small town.

The filmmakers don’t take a side or stand on this debate. However, there are some stereotypes that are presented in the film. In many ways I feel that the filmmakers are definitely playing up these typical ideals to further define each side of this heated debate. There are many instances of satire within the film, not only in what each side believes, but their actions and appearances as well.

The pro-life group is portrayed as frumpy middle-aged women and creepy men, all very religious and family oriented. The Stoney family has issues within their home despite their outward religious appearance. Their daughter is seen sneaking boys out of her room, partying and basically living a life opposite to what her parents are promoting. I think this shows an interesting take on how this family is so involved in the debate that they ignore the issues that exist in their own home. On the other side of the debate is the pro-choice group. Their group is made up of women and bikers with no religious foundation. The women are portrayed as lesbians who are independent and educated.

Overall to me, the movie indicates that the opinions and causes are more important than the actual person in the situation. Both sides treat Ruth as if she is important, but refuse to actually help her with her actual problems. They both take her in and want her situation to work for them despite her serious issues. In the end of the movie she is able to escape the clinic by walking past all of the protesters with no one even noticing her. This sums up her role within this debate. She is simply the generic woman to support one side or the other.

Source:

Citizen Ruth. Dir. Alexander Payne. Perf. Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kurtwood Smith, Kay Place, Kenneth Mars, Tippi Hedren, Burt Reynolds, and Diane Ladd. Miramax Films Presents, 1996.