Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie Review

"In the new code of laws that I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors."

Reviewed by Justin Dekker January 3, 2025

Seventeen short films directed by seventeen female filmmakers crafted in the wake of the US Supreme Court's overturning of 'Roe V Wade' comprise Natasha Halevi's 'Give Me an A', arriving on Blu-ray courtesy of XYZ Films. Alternately funny, touching, and horrifying, but always powerful, the works focus on healthcare issues, bodily autonomy, the role of women, sexuality, and other relevant topics as the current world is explored and the future is divined. This release is packaged with a 14-page booklet penned by Natasha Halevi with her thoughts on and stills from the project, as well as slipcover. Neither a DVD nor a Digital Code are included.

Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you're on, June 24, 2022, was a day many will never forget. On that day, the US Supreme Court removed the federal right to have an abortion and left the decision in the hands of the states. While everyone from political pundits, religious leaders, and politicians, where quick to weigh in and voice an opinion, filmmaker Natasha Halevi did what many in the country did; she processed. She spoke with those she loved and trusted. Then she did something a little different. She got to work.

Within days of the court's decision, Halevi had resolved herself to act. Inside of a week, scripts were being crafted, and three weeks later, teams of female filmmakers were shooting these seventeen short films. A mere three months later, the finished film was screened at its first festival. It's a break-neck pace to be sure. Those assuming the fast pace had a negative impact on the quality of the work here will be more than a little surprised. The only tell-tale sign of the speed of production has to do with the limited number of locations used in the filming of each short. The crews turn in excellent work in terms of lighting, editing, cinematography, and effects. The direction, much of which is handled by directors with some experience in shorts, never fails to build the necessary atmosphere and convey the intended message in a limited amount of time (each short is approximately 5-6 minutes in length).

The on-screen talent is just as solid, and the film boasts an impressive amount of star power. Viewers will no doubt spot Virginia Madsen as the cheerleaders' coach. Her presence, though she has a small role, is immediately impactful. Later, Milana Vayntrub, who many will recognize from her appearances in AT&T commercials and numerous film and television roles, dazzles as the energetic and exuberant Saleswoman in the "Vasectopia" advertisement, that being a magical and wonderful land where unwanted pregnancies are never a worry as the men have all had the operation which prevents them. Gina Torres' (Firefly, Suits) performance as the shopkeeper in "The Last Store" is on par with any that one would find in the best full-length thrillers.

In a project with such a varied slate of shorts, from the musically whimsical, to the dramatic, the futuristic, and those that could serve as the basis of splendid horror films (and should), I was surprised that the one that turned its focus to the past was the one that I walked away thinking about the most. "Abigail" is a simple piece. There is just enough costuming to suggest the short's 1776 setting, with sets just simple enough to not convince the viewer that it isn't. The piece concerns itself with the patriarchal roots of the United States. Reciting lines derived from letters between Abigail and John Adams, Abigail (Alyssa Milano) urges her husband, and founding father, John (Sean Gunn) not to forget about the role and importance of women as he and his colleagues work to craft a government for the new nation. Her every argument and plea to give women a voice and role is met with growing dismissive laughter and derision from him and the other founders, before he finally intones that whatever the two may have discussed in their vision for this brave new world, it simply isn't in his or the other founders' power to bring to fruition. Milano's face and eyes speak volumes as she conveys her hope, determination, frustration, and ultimately, disappointment over the decisions made that will obviously impact her and generations of other women but in which she, and they, would have no voice.

The film does exactly what it intended to accomplish; it makes the case for the need for each person to have bodily autonomy and is the starting point for a conversation. While the shorts present a variety of modern scenarios and visions of the future, they aren't prescriptive. They don't judge. Each generates a situation and then leaves the viewer to ask a series of questions. If this is where we are, is this right? Is this what I (or we) want? Is this better? If what is presented here is true, what's next? What should be next? They're endless. And for as light-hearted, outlandish, ridiculous, frivolous, and funny as the segments can be, the questions and the conversations they start are always serious and necessary.

The shorts are as follows and each has its own chapter stop:

• The Voiceless - Written and Directed by Meg Swertlow. The morning Roe v. Wade was overturned, a woman wakes to find that her mouth has been sealed shut by a growth of skin. But this is only the start of her horror.

• DTF - Written and Directed by Bonnie Discepolo. What if men were legally obligated to shoulder the human responsibility of a one-night stand in a world where abortion is no longer an option?

• Good Girl - Written and Directed by Danin Jacquay. In a dystopian world 100 years in our future, classrooms full of young girls are taught that having children is their primary purpose.

• Our Precious Babies - Written by Annie Bond and Directed by Erica Wright. Feeling like an old sitcom, this short explores the unintended and unforeseen impacts of Roe v. Wade being overturned on in vitro fertilization.

• The Walk - Written and Directed by Sarah Kopkin. Surrounded and verbally abused by angry protesters, a woman suffers a harrowing walk from her car to the door of an abortion clinic.

• Medi-Evil - Written by Rowan Fitzgibbon and Lexx Fusco, and Directed by Monica Moore-Suryiage. Women are kept in confinement and have essentially been reduced to breeding stock presided over by bizarre faceless men.

• Sweetie - Written by Madison Hatfield and Directed by Caitlin Hargraves. After her mother's death due to pregnancy complications, a pregnant young woman worries that the current landscape will deny her lifesaving care if it is needed.

• Abigail - Written and Directed by Natasha Halevi. Using excerpts from letters written between Abigail Adams and her husband John in 1776, Abigail presses John to provide more rights and a voice for women in the new government despite his dismissiveness.

• Plan C - Written and Directed by Megan Rosati. This short focuses on a fictitious form of birth control that remains legal under the government's laws.

• Hold Please - Written by Savannah Scaffe and Directed by Hannah Alline. leveraging the conceit of a support group, the short covers the various roles women perform, how they are overworked, and what they do to support each other.

• God's Plan - Written and Directed by Avital Ash. A variety of religious arguments about pregnancy come to the surface during a traffic stop that is anything but routine.

• Crone - Written and Directed by Mary C. Russell. One woman's experience with cat-calls over the span of several decades depicts the emotional toll they take.

• Crucible Island - Written by Danielle Aufiero and Laura Covelli, and Directed by Valerie Finkel. Against the backdrop of a game show, a group of reprehensible men compete to escape responsibility for an unborn child.

• Vasectopia - Written by Natasha Halevi and Directed by Kelly Nygard. A musical advertisement for a magical land where the men take proactive responsibility for birth control by having the titular surgery.

• The Last Store - Written and Directed by Loren Escandon. A woman runs an illegal clinic in a convenience store.

• Traditional - Written by Lexx Fusco and Directed by Francesca Maldonado. An IVF pregnancy progresses rather unusually while the mother is under constant video supervision by government doctors.

• Give Me an A: The Cheerleaders - Written and Directed by Natasha Halevi, and Choreographed by Stephanie Landwehr. In a dark reprise of the opening, a more menacing group of cheerleaders vent their anger and frustration.

Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Give Me an A looks very good on Blu-ray. Detail levels are high with facial particulars (fine lines and wrinkles), props and set dressing (a gooey honeycomb, houseplants, toiletries, and wood grain), and environmental elements (pavement, blades of grass, and leaves) open for inspection. The color palette is generally neutral and realistic, with colors being warm and pleasantly saturated although there is a bit of variability in that regard from chapter to chapter in accordance with the vision of the filmmaker. "Vasectopia" stands out as being the most stylistically colored, with skin tones occasionally suffering a bit as a result. Reds and other primaries routinely pop nicely and blood is pleasantly deep and viscous in the film's horror-tinged moments. Skin tones are natural and healthy-looking. Black levels are satisfying and depth and dimensionality are strong. There is no evidence of banding, blocking, or other issues or defects.

Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Give Me an A is outfitted with an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Surrounds are used heavily in support of music, filling the stage with angry guitars, feedback, percussion, and the like. The surrounds also provide a mix of ambient and environmental sounds, and they also are leveraged in other ways, for instance, by creating a deliciously echoey warehouse space late in the film. Sound separation at key musical moments is impressive. Bass is sufficient to provide appreciable depth to music and sound effects. With few exceptions, sound effects are relatively routine and mundane, consisting of closing doors, tinkling bells, and car engines, though the odd gunshot is rendered with great realism. Dialogue is clean, center- focused, and is always properly prioritized. Unsurprisingly frequent screams are handled well and even the most high-pitched shriek remains accurate and doesn't experience any distortion. It's a great track.

Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Give Me an A includes a booklet written by Natasha Halevi that covers some of the same ground as the featurette, but it goes into more detail around the production process, the speed at which the project went from conception to screen, the intent of the project to start a discussion, and companies that helped bring it to life by providing resources or other aid. The on-disc supplemental material is limited to Give Me an A': The Women Who Brought it to Life (by Choice) (11.23). In it, the directors of the shorts, including Natasha Halevi, discuss their works showcased here, the production schedule, the message they were trying to convey, and their reactions to the ruling and other thoughts. The piece could easily have been twice as long as the film itself, but even the brief insights the filmmakers share here are engaging.

Give Me an A Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While it's been two years since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade the subject has never left the headlines or the national consciousness. Crafted in its immediate wake and now arriving on Blu-ray, Natasha Haveli's Give Me an A serves as a springboard of conversations and questions about the impact of that ruling, the current state of the world, and what we want for the future. As with most anthologies, the tone of each chapter can vary wildly, and this one shifts from realistic drama, to comedy, musical, and horror with stops at every compass point in between. Some may not be to every viewer's taste, but each shares a vision that is thought-provoking and powerful in its own way. While cinema can sometimes be a solitary experience, given its nature and intent, Give Me an A is best enjoyed in a crowded room and comes highly recommended.