“Birth control is so inextricably tied into our freedom as women — but only half the story is being told,” we’re informed in a new trailer for “The Business of Birth Control.” As director Abby Epstein told us in a soon-to-be published interview, the documentary “takes a hard look at the lack of options and informed consent around hormonal birth control.”
Eighty percent of American women will use the pill at some point, but its risks and potential side effects, which include low libidos and migraines, have received little attention. Despite its shortcomings, the pill is the go-to method of birth control, and alternatives are often left out of the equation. “The most feminist approach to the conversation around contraceptives is options,” we’re told in the spot.
“Weaving together the stories of bereaved parents, body literacy activists, and femtech innovators, the film reveals a new generation seeking holistic and ecological alternatives to the pill while redefining the meaning of reproductive justice,” “The Business of Birth Control’s” synopsis details.
The doc will make its world premiere November 14 at DOC NYC and will screen online at the fest from November 15-28.
Epstein’s other credits include “Weed the People,” “The Business of Being Born,” and “Until the Violence Stops.” The latter won an Emmy.
