October Baby parents guide

October Baby Parent Guide

Unique in its approach to the controversy over a woman's right versus the rights of the unborn fetus, "October Baby" puts a face on the silent party of this debate.

Overall A-

Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) has just learned a difficult truth. Her parents aren't really her blood relatives. Instead she was adopted after an unsuccessful abortion. Feeling like her whole world has been turned upside-down, she sets out to find the woman who didn't want to be her mother.

Release date March 23, 2012

Violence B+
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A
Substance Use A-

Why is October Baby rated PG-13? The MPAA rated October Baby PG-13 for mature thematic material.

Run Time: 107 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

All her life Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) has suffered from health problems but she doesn’t understand why until her first year of college. A severe asthma attack and some mildly suicidal remarks discovered in her journal by her parents finally force her family to explain some previously concealed facts about the 19-year-old’s past.

First, the only mother and father she has ever known are not her biological parents. Second, she was adopted after her premature arrival, caused by an unsuccessful abortion.

The news turns the fragile young adult ‘s sheltered life upside down. Feeling betrayed, she demands to see her birth certificate, but the only clue it provides is the location of the hospital where she was born. Turning to life-long friend Jason (Jason Burkey), the one person she thinks she can still trust, the usually obedient Hannah makes the rebellious choice to travel to Mobile, Alabama in search of the woman who wished she didn’t exist.

As Hannah sets out on this journey of self-discovery, she hopes to find answers to her aching questions, address her feelings of abandonment and perhaps even repair her seriously eroded self-worth. Instead the quest leaves her fearing that locating her elusive birth mother may prove easier than restoring peace to her soul.

While sometimes sentimental, the movie does a commendable job of portraying the poignant emotions experienced not just by the unwanted child but also many of the other people who are part of her story, such as the adoptive family and the many professionals associated with the performance of this medical procedure. While the script promotes a definite pro-life message, the writers are still sensitive to the complex reasons why some women contemplate and/or choose to terminate a pregnancy.

Adding credibility to the film is the inclusion of one of the actor’s personal experiences with this issue, which is shared during the closing credits. As well, a song presented in the movie’s musical score is provided by Gianna Jessen, a singer and actual abortion survivor. (She is also part of the inspiration for the screenplay.)

Unique in its approach to the controversy over a woman’s right versus the rights of the unborn fetus, October Baby puts a face on the silent party of this debate. It offers a powerful insight into the worth of every life. And it demonstrates how forgiveness has the power to heal even the deepest sorrows.

Directed by Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin. Starring Rachel Hendrix, Jason Burkey, John Schneider, Jasmine Guy. Running time: 107 minutes. Theatrical release March 23, 2012. Updated

October Baby
Rating & Content Info

Why is October Baby rated PG-13? October Baby is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for mature thematic material.

Violence: Characters break into a locked building and are subsequently arrested. Mild suicidal thoughts are recorded in a journal.

Sexual Content: An unmarried couple is forced to share a hotel room, which causes the girl’s moral convictions great distress. A character says she has never been with anyone (meaning sexually).

Language: None Noted.

Drugs and Alcohol: A character is depicted with a hangover.

Other: A girl’s medical history (hip problems, asthma, epilepsy and emotional issues) is attributed to a failed abortion. A character describes witnessing the birth of a child who is missing an arm because of an abortion attempt. Miscarriages, abortion and death of infants are discussed.

Page last updated

October Baby Parents' Guide

To learn more about abortion survivors click here: http://theabortionsurvivors.com

To learn more about Gianna Jessen, the inspiration for the movie October Baby, click here: http://www.giannajessen.com/main/index.html

October Baby is produced by Provident Films, who also created the faith-based movie Courageous. These filmmakers have also assigned 10 percent of the profits of this film to an Every Life is Beautiful Fund where “The money will be distributed to frontline organizations helping women face crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies and those caring for orphans.”

Home Video

The most recent home video release of October Baby movie is September 11, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: October Baby

Release Date: 11 September 2012

October Baby releases to home video with the following bonus extras:

- Audio commentary by The Erwin Brothers and The October Baby Family

- October Bloopers

- Deleted Scenes

- Finding Hannah

- Shari’s Story

- Gianna Jessen: The Inspiration

- Singing the Praises of October Baby

- Facebook Q&A with Rachel and Jason

-  Every Life is Beautiful (Jon Erwin, Gianna Jessen, Andy Erwin, Mark Hall, Pat Layton, Ken Bevel and Dan Atchison)

- The Afters “Life Is Beautiful” Music Video

Related home video titles:

Other adopted children and their families encounter birth parents and have to deal with the emotional consequences in Like Dandelion Dust and The Shunning.