REVIEWED BY REBECCA GRACE | AFA JournalStaff Writer

From Hollywood filmmaker Jonathan Flora comes a gripping and emotionally charged thriller about partial-birth abortion. Set as a courtroom drama and titled A Distant Thunder, the 35-minute film enters the desperate mind of pro-choice prosecutor Ann Brown (played by Flora’s wife, Deborah) who takes on a partial-birth abortion case, which proves to challenge everything she believes to be true.

The deeper she investigates the case the more she is tormented by evil delusions that are both unnerving and foreboding. Terrifying secrets are exposed that lead to a shocking twist in which the unforeseeable, yet provocative, truth is revealed.

Viewers are likely to be left speechless as the credits roll causing them to reflect on the harsh reality of partial-birth abortion, also known by its medical term "dilation and extraction" or "D&X."

As described by National Right to Life, D&X is an abortion procedure performed on women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant in which the unborn baby is grabbed by the legs with forceps and pulled into the birth canal leaving the head inside the womb. While the baby is still alive, scissors are forced into the back of the baby’s skull and spread to enlarge the wound into which a suction catheter is then inserted. The brains of the baby are sucked out causing the head to collapse. The dead baby is then removed from the uterus.

"The only difference between partial birth abortion and homicide is three inches," Brown says in the film.

Because education, wrapped in entertainment, is a driving force behind this motion picture, this procedure is described in similar detail through the characters’ dialogue, although not depicted visually.

Eye of the storm
Flora, who wrote and directed the film, wants the film to create debate and an awareness of this misunderstood topic.

"About four years ago, doctors were telling my wife and me that we couldn’t have our own children," Flora explained. "While we were standing in faith that we would have children, I was also frustrated. Here we are praying so hard for children, and America has chosen to abort nearly 45 million babies since Roe v. Wade," based on selfishness and inconvenience.

"How have we arrived at such a place where we have come to devalue life so much that we decide who should live or die?" Flora asked. "Let me say up front, I regretfully made that same decision many years ago in college, and I’ve had to come to terms with that."

His personal post-abortive experience served as a catalyst for this film that Flora sees as a healing tool.

It was during this time in Flora’s life that he stumbled upon partial-birth abortion. He knew nothing of it but knew the terminology sounded so wrong.

"I was shocked when I discovered what it was," Flora admitted. "I spoke to several other people who also had never heard of it. I knew then that I had to do something."

Flora began writing the script and shopping it around the industry independent of his position as an award-winning producer with Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Producer Kip Perry took an interest in his efforts and the rest is history, as evident from the film’s release at the end of 2005.

Sunshine after the rain
"It’s now really starting to take off," Flora said.

Most importantly, Flora has already received confirmation of the film’s life-changing impact through the testimony of a college student who was being pressured by her boyfriend to have an abortion. After watching the film together, the boyfriend turned to his expectant girlfriend and said, "We can’t do this. Let’s get married and have this baby."

In addition, the film is also resonating with legislators and pro-life advocates nationwide. Several congressional screenings have been held in Washington, D.C. It was most recently featured during the 2006 March for Life weekend January 21-23.

The Floras, who now have two natural-born children, also appear at various speaking engagements where audiences screen the film and the Floras follow it with a panel discussion. Some schools are expressing an interest in showing the film to their students while a number of youth groups are already in the process of doing so. Since the film is short, it allows it to be more widely viewed by educators, school classes, religious groups, political leaders and lawmakers on both ends of the abortion spectrum.

Although not created or touted as a Christian film, the message spoken through the drama pricks the core of God’s plan for human existence and depicts the void that results from a life not lived.

"We should all remember one line from the film: ‘Whether we live 90 years or 90 seconds, there’s a part of us that goes on forever,’" said Florida Governor Jeb Bush. "This timely film is a call to action to defend the lives of soon-to-be-born children who are inhumanely denied their right to life."

The film is being distributed by Vision Video and is available in DVD format at www.visionvideo.com or by calling 1-800-523-0226. The film is unrated and is not intended to be family-friendly fare. Viewer discretion is advised due to frightening and sometimes graphic scenes.

Another Pro-life DVD
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is a 63-minute lecture-based production by Answers in Genesis that takes an in-depth look at the incredible complexity of human life through the expertise of anatomist Dr. David Menton. Scripture is applied to show God’s almighty power in the processes of fertilization, implantation, embryonic development and birth. It is available at www.AnswersinGenesis.org or by calling 1-800-350-3232.