very good documentary

A disturbing, intense, and emotional documentary that fairly explores both sides of the abortion debate. I, personally, love objectivity in documentary films (although I do enjoy some biased films), so this was the film for me! It shows both the horrors of abortion, and those who are highly against it, bombing and killing abortion clinics. Those who are easily disturbed should be warned, because "Lake of Fire" is a film with a lot of graphic imagery.

"Lake of Fire" depicts abortion in the United States, and the conflict of pro-choice and pro-life (propagated by the fundamentalist Religious Right.) While I understand the value of wanting to save a human life, this documentary exposes the religious position of pro-life for it's true horrible position. It is not a position of the value of human life from personal moral principles derived from intelligent thought. This documentary demonstrates the well-known fact that their pro-life values are based on "God, Jesus, and the Bible tell us so," and a position of giving up personal responsibility for doing God's Will. They misrepresent Biblical scripture, as they do with all Christian doctrine, to promote their own agenda. The irony is the individuals in the film who contradict their values by murdering doctors for murdering children. One of them declares "abortionists are murderers, murderers should be executed," and yet when he is sentenced to death, the religious become angry at the state's judgment. What's even more disturbing is how they justify using murder, terrorism, and harassment as having been effective ways of stopping abortion clinics. Clearly a show that Christian values are like human values, as Noam Chomsky states "The values we hold are not absolute. They are always contingent. They conflict, and life is made up of decision and complicated situations in cases of conflicting values." The bible does not support Christian family values. It does not support Christian values of motherhood and the value of human life. Perhaps no other literature holds more contempt for women, children, human life, and the natural occurrences of a woman's body related to her reproductive system (childbirth, menstruation, etc.) The FACT is that Christian values are based on delusions that are not supported by evidence including the doctrine of the bible.

"There are still things I need to do before I have a child, like finish college, and have a job . . . and a marriage." The camera doesn't show her face. The rumbling machine makes a sudden scream, like the sound of a drill bit when it comes to a screeching halt. "In just a few minutes, we're able to facilitate her decision to not be a parent," the doctor says jauntily. "Now it's just a matter of piecing the fetal tissue back together." He sifts through the machine's contents, holding up a tiny human arm, a splintered leg, and a ghoulish head. The bulging, empty eyes stare into the camera. Yes, Tony Kaye's Lake of Fire is graphic. Shot entirely in black and white, the grayscale film only mutes the viewer's horror. Nevertheless, this documentary isn't so much about abortion as it is the people who care about abortion. Just because Kaye never speaks during the film's 152-minutes-the narrative lumbers along through a combination of interviews and archival footage shot over the course of 16 years-doesn't mean he has nothing to say. Repeated juxtapositions of religious imagery and spiritual rhetoric are not-so-subtle suggestions that abortion wars transcend the political. Lake of Fire fetishizes zealous fundamentalists on both sides. Pro-choice activists are seen carrying a cross emblazoned with the words "cross of oppression, keep abortion legal" and shock-rocker femme fatales perform vulgar acts with coat-hangers. Most of the film follows anti-abortion activists who perceive themselves to be vehicles of God's wrath upon abortionists. The interview subjects that Kaye chooses betray his interest in militant subculture, a fascination he carries over from his previous work, American History X, which examined neo-NAZI skinheads. Unfortunately, this approach paints the entire pro-life movement with the brush of violent extremism. But the film also shows how ugly abortion is, which casts the vigilantes in a more sympathetic light. Though Kaye claims neutrality on abortion, his inclusion of a clip from "The Hard Truth" may reveal the motivation for his graphic documentary. "Some might ask why a video of this sort should even be necessary," the clip's narrator says. "Teachers don't show bloody World War II footage to manipulate students emotionally, they use it because the NAZI death camps represent an evil so inexpressible that lectures alone could never adequately describe it. Until you've seen the pictures . . . you can't begin to know how evil it is."

Noam Chomsky: You are not going to get the answers from holy texts. You are not going to get the answers from biologists. These are matters of human concern that have to be discussed seriously... Lake of Fire es un documental franco acerca del aborto y que profundiza en las opiniones de ambos lados de el debate. Tony Kaye dirige sin parcialidad un documental acerca de un tema controversial. Lo que aprendí luego de verlo fue que no hay ninguna respuesta definitiva, y cada persona tiene una opinión distinta. Las entrevistas a distintos individuos te abren los ojos a distintas realidades. Están los fanáticos religiosos que están en contra, llamados pro-life, que están tan obsesionados con la palabra de dios, que son capaces de asesinar con tal de salirse con la suya. Está Peter Singer un filosofo ateo que no apoya el aborto, pero que no se sabe realmente cuando un feto empieza a ser un ser humano con funciones cognitivas y que cada mujer tiene derecho a decidir que hacer con su cuerpo. También está la mujer llamada Norma McCorvey que firmó la controversial ley de Roe Vs. Wade, la cual despenaliza el aborto, y en su entrevista habla acerca de lo difícil que fue su vida luego de este período, y que por casualidad, encontró a dios y ahora es una activista para hacer el aborto ilegal. La aparición de Noam Chomsky y sus reflexiones, como siempre dieron en el clavo y la historia más conmovedora del final, donde una mujer es filmada lidiando con la decisión de tener un aborto. Lake of Fire es un documental completo acerca de este tema y que disipa varias dudas, aunque después de verlo, me di cuenta que ninguna verdad es absoluta. En definitiva sigo manteniendo mi decisión de que cada mujer tiene un derecho irrenunciable a decidir que hacer con su cuerpo y el aborto debe mantenerse seguro y legal, de manera que no volvamos a el período donde las mujeres se veían obligadas por la desesperación a introducirse objetos en la vagina de manera de auto provocarse el aborto, pero terminaban muriendo desangradas. Sin importar que posición tome la gente, deberíamos estar de acuerdo que la mujer y su seguridad vienen antes que la de un feto. El fanatismo de los cristianos religiosos es escalofriante, y siento que su posición es la menos razonable. Dicen que son pro-life, pero sólo les importa mientras el bebé es un feto, ya al nacer, no tienen el mismo interés de defenderlo. Mientras se oponen al aborto, tampoco tratan de evitarlos, con educación sexual efectiva y tratando de inculcar el uso de preservativos, sino que tratan de abogar por la abstinencia, lo cual es poco realista para el mundo en el que vivimos hoy en día. Una parte que más me impactó fue cuando se le realizó un aborto a una mujer cuando llevaba 20 semanas de embarazo. El doctor al aspirar el feto, sus restos son puestos en una bandeja donde claramente se ven partes del cuerpo, como pequeñas manos y la cabeza. Se ve que ya es un bebé formado, y fue inquietante ya que no se si se puede racionalizar los abortos tan avanzados, a menos que el niño o la madre estén en peligro. Lake of Fire es un documental que logra exitosamente lo que muchos no pueden, que es exponer un tema sin tomar ningún lado. Al filmarlo en blanco y negro afirma aún más esta acción ya que nos dice que este tema tiene matices de gris, y cada lado tiene la verdad de su lado, y también le da un realismo absoluto y crudo a este documental.

Lake of Fire is graphic documentary on abortion directed by Tony Kaye (American History X, Detachment). It's journalistic reporting showing both sides. The interviews are with doctors, rednecks, and everything in between. It showed graphic images of legal and back alley abortions, that disturbs anyone on either sides. I'm still pro-choice and pro-life people will still be pro-life. It's more historical than scientific, which is fine, but I didn't learn many new facts. Also the run time is too long at 152 minutes, in that amount of time everything got repetitive and already said.

Perhaps the greatest documentary I've ever had the privilege of watching.

(****): [img]http://images.chrc4work.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] A great documentary on abortion. Unflinching and unforgettable.

Tony Kaye is a fearless film-maker, and to make an unflinching documentary about the abortion debate in the US, one would need to be. He covers a range of opinions and insights of the so-called pro-life and pro-choice camps, and thus makes as balanced a document as possible (especially where one side of the debate includes so many unbalanced individuals) on such an explosive and inherently subjective issue. My personal position was not changed by the film, but that was never the point - I certainly had my eyes opened and had to more thoroughly investigate my morality and soul, which seems to be closer to the intention of the film.

This is by far the best film on the subject and on dealing with hard things in general. Black and White and people from all views being allowed to voice their anger and love. From the start to finish the film has people from all over the place talk about their views on what this subject means to them. The thing i find amazing is the counter points from each point of view. The ability to allow people to show how wrong you are yet still remain strong in your view and at the same time see people change their views based on new evidence of something they may not have know about before. When Roe gets interviewed i found it an amazing thing to learn about. Please give it a view. Great conversations will come from it.

It's bitter and it's shocking, but Lake Of Fire never takes the time to reveal what the people behind the camera feel about the issue (the director has stated he's unsure, even after filming), and the audience can't help but feel the same. In the end, I conclude that I'm neither pro-life or pro-choice, but maybe both. This is an issue that doesn't have a right or wrong answer, no matter which side claims absolutes. Fantastic portrait of the most divisive issue out there.

The scope of footage that Tony Kaye has collected for this film is great for a number of reasons. Most obviously it does a great job at covering the various perspectives of the certain groups in relation to this issue. As well as this it covers significant historical events that have occurred in relation to this matter. For a film which served to reinforce my pro-choice stance, it did a great job at making me respect the other side's opinion.

Tony Kaye has put together a very well made documentary. The interviews with people on the front lines of the debate are very compelling. And the interviews with people like Noam Chomsky, Nat Hentoff and Alan Dershowitz offer you educated viewpoints from people who are distant from the issue. There are several horrifically graphic sequences so be prepared. There isn't alot of sanity coming from the pro-life side in this. Most of them are hardcore Christian fundamentalists who are really lost, along with crazies like Paul Hill who use religion to mask how insane they really are. The interview with "Jane Roe" from the 'Roe vs Wade' trial will get your mind going. It's a tough one to watch but if you're interested in what is going on with the issue of abortion then you should see it.

Pro-life or pro-choice? That is the question that has been responsible for arguably the most heated debate our current American culture has ever seen. Filmmaker Tony Kaye (American History X) with his aptitude for depicting controversial issues, doesn't waste time nor pulls any punches while beating the crap out of this one. His beautifully done documentary dives deep into the war over abortion; something that is ironically as far from "beautiful" as it gets. He takes an extremely analytical back seat perspective while examining everything that has gone into the feud. In particular, the religiously grounded fundamentalists who oppose it, the open-minded supporters who advocate it, and the many women out there who are struggling to keep their right of free-choice. Not just a film formed of interviews with extreme opinions either as it uses a fair amount of explicit footage too ranging from the murder scenes of abortion doctors to actual "in procedure" images that really nail the messages in. Outside of the grisly flashes from the operations though, the film struggles to remain neutral as it takes on a majorly pro-choice stance. But it's not something I hold the director or his film really accountable for as the pro-life movement along with their church and government affiliates, do a damn fine job making themselves look like a gaggle of religious nut jobs. "Lake of Fire's" overall outlook is just though and brought home with the way they punctuate the film; by simply following an everyday woman through her own procedure from when she heads to her appointment to when she leaves the clinic. She is a basic but real symbol who speaks loads for the concept that while everybody is getting so riled up over the idea of it all, what is being forgotten are the actual people going through it. Documentaries are meant to educate while entertain, and by that criteria, I can't remember the last time I was as thought-provoked and wowed in one setting as this. . . GRADE: A+

Shocking, incendiary, and intelligent. The film takes an even-handed, in-depth look at both sides of the abortion issue, and one leaves with more respect for the humanity at the core of the arguments.

A very powerful film on abortion which handles the subject matter fairly evenly, at it it gives both sides an opportunity to present their case. There are some interesting point from both sides, but a lot of the commentary coming from the "pro-lifers" is from religious fanatics so it makes it really hard to fully side with them as at best they are hypocritical, and at worst they are insane and dangerous murderers. There is some very strong/graphic imagery, so this is not for everyone. i found it to be a very powerful and interesting film that again reminded me how happy I am to live in Canada. Technically, the film is very well made, beautiful cinematography and excellent music choices, that verge on manipulative, but I still felt worked. it was directed by the director of "American History X". Worth checking out if you can handle the intense subject matter and imagery.

A very powerful documentary about this controversial topic. Definitely worth a watch if you're interested in this sort of thing.

Seriously, this movie had such great potential. Only after I had seen it, did I realize Edward Norton must have been right editing American History X.

Easily one of the best documentary of the decade

'Lake of Fire' is incredibly difficult to watch at moments, specifically the images of the abortion process or pictures of women who unsuccessfully tried to perform an abortion on themselves, but its one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It shows the wide range of beliefs pretty favorably ranging from sane to crazy and while it slightly leans in favor of the pro-choice movement, its still one of the most unbiased portrayals of the abortion issue that any filmmaker has dared to make. The most important thing that the film shows us is that Americans have a very hard time with rational debate and discussion regardless of their opinion or political affiliation.