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Clip description
At the mental health clinic, Kate (Jacqueline McKenzie) and Harry (John Lynch) have to defend their decision to stay away from doctors during Kate’s pregnancy. The clinic’s director, Dr Norberg (Robyn Nevin), Kate’s former doctor (Alex Pinder), Harry’s brother Morris (Colin Friels) and wife Louise (Deborra-Lee Furness) all put pressure on the couple. At a service station afterwards, Kate asks Morris the key question – ‘do you want me to have an abortion?’
Curator’s notes
Despite the film’s obvious sympathy with its two lead characters, the question of how far they have rights over their own bodies is never over-simplified. The concerns of the doctors and family members are genuine and reasonable and they present a real dilemma. John Lynch’s playing of this scene is superbly expressive of his character’s lack of confidence and his strong desire to assert control over his own life. Each sentence he utters seems to require a superhuman effort, both to stay calm and to keep focused on what he wants to say. In a sense, Kate no longer cares what the ‘straight’ world thinks of her, but Harry is trying desperately to re-enter that realm, where his rights and his humanity will not be discounted because of his illness.
