Tribeca Film Festival 2022: BATTLEGROUND

When the 2016 election ended, Donald Trump had clinched the win, there were reports and videos of groups succumbing to tears, the emotion of its defeat and its implications overwhelmingly apparent. For many, it was the loss of a chance to see our first female president, while for others, it was the potential loss of human rights. And while many grieved the potential future, others prepared for war – because a new battleground was forming.

Six years later, America stands on the precipice of rolling back the reproductive rights of women solidified by Roe v. Wade in 1973. Through a leaked Supreme Court opinion, the landmark decision is poised to be overturned, making Cynthia Lowen’s documentary Battleground more vital than ever. What separates Lowen’s documentary from others surrounding the topic of abortion is its understanding that to truly fight for what one believes in, you must know and understand the other side of the battle. You need to know where your opponent or oppressor is coming from in order to know where they are going.

2016 Was Only the Beginning

As Battleground opens, the screen is filled with the red, white, and blue of the American flag waving in the wind. There is a quiet peacefulness to this opening image, one that pushes the idea of this being a deeply rooted American issue. As the screen goes black, the film transitions 40 days before the 2016 election, bringing to audiences the audio from a closed-door meeting between Donald Trump and leaders of the Christian Right. Encompassed strictly by the voices of men (with the brief inclusion of Ivanka Trump), there is an easy camaraderie when speaking of and to Trump, as well as in their interactions with him. They have all been paid by the Trump Organization after all.

Within the meeting, Trump and these leaders discuss how he will fulfill the Christian Right’s legislative and cultural priorities. While there are no implicit promises made or offers doled out, there is an easy-to-read understanding that emulates from these audio conversations. From the very beginning, Battleground has laid out the field and begun to introduce its key generals, making a smooth transition to its army. As Battleground moves forward in time, audiences are brought to the March for Life march and summit from January 2020.

Youth of a Nation

“We are the Pro-Life Generation” becomes the dominating chant as the pro-life youth make their way from the bus to the march to the summit. As various students from Students for Life of America speak to the camera, they express not only their interest in overturning Roe v. Wade, but to make abortion unthinkable. As their words swell around the issues, they are reinforced by the march and summit’s speakers, one, in particular, expressing the success of the marchers as they are “full of life, full of passion and they are young”. Reaching its culminating moment of President Donald Trump addressing the crowd and becoming the first sitting president to attend March for Life.

There is this indoctrinated sense that seems to wash over the film as you see the higher-ups within a variety of Pro-Life organizations speak to the power of the youth in their organization. The power to mobilize them, the power to reach them. And mobilized they are. They are left in the rain overnight, working in shifts to represent their respective organizations and hold spots for the morning’s protests. They are encouraged to timely enact forms of protest that could result in arrest for the benefit of upcoming speeches and demonstrations. But it is not only the youth of today that is shown but how the youth of yesterday was reached as well.

One woman, in particular, speaks to being Pro-Choice earlier in life. Having had to complete a project in order to graduate high school, she volunteered at a Pro-Life counseling center, is enlisted to become a counselor herself. Was she old enough to take on such a task? Battleground does not tackle this question, allowing her to continue her story, reminiscing about the vast amount of literature and videos she needed to study in order to perform the role according to Pro-life standards. After her training, she could no longer rationalize the Pro-Choice stance.

Root of Belief

Battleground is extremely visually based, with much of its selected video speaking between the lines. The film gives room for its subjects to express themselves in a safe environment, but there is a challenge at times to what they say – even if it is in the eyes of the viewer. Each talking head – with the exception of one atheist, a former cult member democrat – is shown and heard to be a member of the faith. While not implicitly stated, at many of the marches, summits and protests, prayer goes hand in hand with the mission – to overturn Roe v. Wade and make abortion unthinkable.

Where at times it seemed the cause is nothing more than a reason to appear on the cover of a New York Times article or for more followers, other times, it felt this is all the Lord’s work. As it fast forwards through several key moments of 2020, it settles on January 6, 2021. As President Trump stands before his supporters and makes the now infamous speech of marching to the capital, the documentary collapses into chaos, the insurrection filling the screen. Where the film has allowed its subjects to fill the screen with their perspectives, both position, and faith, Lowen includes a video of insurrectionists raising a cross in front of the now overtaken Capital Building.

Conclusion

Battleground is a hard watch, especially with the looming release of the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade. It’s harder still to listen to and watch those directly affected by those seeking to eliminate abortion. From a rape survivor to the head of Planned Parenthood, from an abortion seeker during the pandemic to an abortion doctor in Texas, there is pain and grief in each word. They each have a personal and deeply moving story to tell, and their inclusion in this documentary elevates it’s beyond just hearing the other side of the issue.

Battleground is the vital documentary we need now, giving breadth of space for both sides of the aisle to be heard, but also shining a light on the ultimate chess board that is the fight against abortion. Each piece has been strategically positioned over the years, and it took only one opening to bring the issue to a potential checkmate.

Have you seen Battleground? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Battleground premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2022!

Watch Battleground