Reversing Roe

2018 American documentary on abortion laws in America

Keli Goff
Anne Sundberg
Ricki Stern

Starring

Donna Howard
John Seago
Brigitte Amiri
Troy Newman
Colleen McNicholas

CinematographyCharles MillerEdited byBen GoldMusic byPaul Brill

Production
companies

Lincoln Square Productions
UnbeliEVAble Entertainment
Break Thru Films

Distributed byNetflix

Release date

September 13, 2018 (2018-09-13) (Netflix)

Running time

99 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Reversing Roe is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg. Through interviews, the film analyzes the abortion laws in the United States and the effects of the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. The film is internationally distributed by Netflix, where it was released on September 13, 2018.^[1]

Synopsis

Documentarists Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg interview several politicians, experts, and activists about the state of the abortion politics in the United States and about the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Roe v. Wade.

Cast

Donna Howard
John Seago
Brigitte Amiri
Troy Newman
Colleen McNicholas
Linda Greenhouse
Tom Davis

Release

Reception

Reversing Roe was worldwide released on September 13, 2018, on Netflix. Upon its release, the film received universal acclaim by the critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Reversing Roe has an approval rating of 88% based on eight reviews.^[2] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[3]

Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "As contentiousness turned into real-world consequences, Reversing Roe reminds us that the more women get involved regarding their rights, the more likely we're to see a fair, principled fight".^[4] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times stated that the film ... "provides a clear and accessible overview of more than 50 years of the social and legal history of the issue in the United States".^[5] Brian Lowry, writing for CNN, was more critical towards the film, stating: "While the documentary sheds welcome light on Roe's history -- on the road that brought us to this crucial juncture -- the filmmakers, perhaps inevitably, bypassed some key stops and turns along the way."^[6]

Reversing Roe was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary at the 40th News and Documentary Emmy Award.^[7]

References

^ "Reversing Roe (2018)". Netflix. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
^ "Reversing Roe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
^ "Reversing Roe". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
^ Abele, Robert (12 September 2018). "Review: 'Reversing Roe' heralds looming battle for women's reproductive rights". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
^ Kenigsberg, Ben (12 September 2018). "Review: 'Reversing Roe' Shows How Abortion Became Political". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
^ Lowry, Brian (11 September 2018). "'Reversing Roe' explores contentious history of Roe v. Wade". CNN. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
^ "NOMINEES FOR THE 40th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED – The Emmys". Retrieved 2019-08-10.