October Baby is 2011 Christian-themed drama film directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin.
The story concerns Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), a 19-year-old college student who learns from her parents Jacob (John Schneider) and Grace (Jennifer Price) that not only was she adopted, but also an abortion survivor. This shakes Hannah to the core, prompting her to go Gene Hunting with the help of her friend Jason (Jason Burkey). The film, despite receiving a limited release, has made a splash with conservative Christian audiences, in part due to its pro-life stance and religious elements. Mainstream reviewers and audiences, on the other hand, balked at the film, with some calling it exploitative and dangerous in its message.
Tropes found in October Baby include...
- Abusive Parents: Jacob is a rare
unintentional example of this trope. He lies to Hannah, uses the borderline-suicidal passages in her diary as a pretext for further hospitalization, violates the Hippocratic Oath, pushes her out of relationship with her best friend, and threatens to pull her out of college. All for her own good, mind you. - Angsty Surviving Twin: Hannah turns out to be this (her twin brother died when he was only a few weeks old).
- Clueless Aesop: People who don't like their adoptive parents need to buck up and deal with it!
- Gene Hunting: The gist of the story.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: The main Aesop of the film. Hannah's birth mother (the film's 'villain') tried to abort her, but it got botched and she was put up for adoption instead. She's portrayed as a cold, selfish woman and the film is fairly blatant in its 'pro life' stance.
- Happily Adopted: Hannah, at the end.
- Informed Flaw: Hannah is a survivor of a botched abortion, and is said to have depression, epilepsy, asthma, and a childhood full of hip surgeries. Throughout the film she never exhibits any symptoms of the first two, never uses the inhaler after a couple of scenes in the opening act, and doesn't walk with any sign of a limp (and in fact spends hours dragging around a heavy suitcase).
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Jacob, apparently.
- Knight Templar Parent: Jacob, who is perfectly fine with violating the Hippocratic oath, lying, and generally being a dick to his adopted daughter Hannah if it means keeping her under his thumb.
- Oblivious Adoption: Hannah at first. Arguably, her parents keeping this a secret for her entire life causes most of the film's drama.
- There Is Only One Bed: At the hotel where Jason and Hannah check in after their escapade in the water.
- Tough Love: Jacob, depending on your interpretation.
