Shouting Down Midnight was received with great excitement at its world premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas. For those of us who were part of the fight against these oppressive laws in 2013, it was inspirational and uplifting and brought people back to the exciting events of the Wendy Davis filibuster almost a decade ago. The film is beautifully made and edited with much love and care and really tries to contextualize the filibuster moment within the larger decades long struggle for reproductive rights in Texas. For me, it brought back an excitement and joy of those iconic moments that are part of Austin progressive history. The film tried to build on the enthusiasm, mobilization, and activism of that moment. It focused on some of the activists who were inspired by the moment and have gone on to continue the fight.
But it was also a celebration of what was really a glorious failure. The bill passed, and while parts of it were eventually overturned by the Supreme Court, it remained part of the long downward spiral of reproductive freedom in Texas. In a way, it seemed deeply detached from the current reality in Texas where abortion has already been banned at 6 weeks from conception. All the invocations to organize and vote seemed a little hollow at this moment when the battle is about to be lost in June's upcoming Supreme Court ruling which will likely lead to the outlawing of abortion in this state in the coming months. While a beautifully made documentary, I found it terribly bittersweet. It is trying to celebrate a brief victory on a long road of failure and despair. The film preaches to a choir that is searching for hope when there is really none to be found for those who care deeply about this issue. Of course, hope is a necessary component of activism, but maybe this movement also needs a bit more hard-headed realism and bit less celebration of the glorious failure of a just and righteous cause.
