Provincial France in the mid-1970s, a place where people rise early, crochet accessories adorn windows and brown and orange are the dominant colours. Women have only recently been granted the right to open a bank account without their husband’s consent. Annie works in a mattress factory and has two children with her husband Philippe. She works tirelessly to organise family life: she’s always on the go, and the camera follows her everywhere. When she accidentally becomes pregnant, Annie comes into contact with MLAC, an underground movement that campaigns for free abortion and contraception. The movement has enabled women in France to have safe, illegal abortions and access to birth control since 1973. Annie has an abortion at one of the local branches—professionally and in an atmosphere of sisterhood such as she has never experienced before. Annie’s body suddenly becomes a political issue and her feminist transformation begins. Through Annie’s gaze, the right to choose becomes the sine qua non of gender equality. Blandine Lenoir elegantly weaves into the narrative documentary footage of prominent campaigners such as Delphine Seyrig and Simone Veil. Although anger is part of the film’s title, it’s Annie’s cheerfulness that makes the immense injustice so blatant. Lenoir continues to tell the story of the struggle for the right to abortion. When Annie says »My abortion was more beautiful than the birth of my children«, this is about nothing less than the utopia of an anti-patriarchal, supportive society.

In cooperation with Gleichstellungsbüro der Stadt Dortmund.

Guest on 21.4.: Maria Hendel, Pro Choice Münster