MOVIE · 1996
Citizen Ruth
ComedyDrama106 min
Ruth Stoops barely has control of her own life when an unexpected pregnancy turns her into a prize in America’s abortion fight. Laura Dern is Ruth, a solvent-huffing drifter suddenly courted, lectured, and maneuvered by activists, lawyers, and TV cameras on both sides of the issue. Figures embodied by Swoosie Kurtz and Kurtwood Smith treat her less like a person than a cause, while the standoff around her swells into a public spectacle. Alexander Payne’s film keeps its focus on Ruth as private trouble, political opportunism, and media attention crash together.
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