Emily Goss’ short film, A Little House in Aberdeen, puts Goss front and center as Britney, a young woman reflecting on her life while undergoing an abortion. First, the camera is focused on Britney’s face and pans out only to show her on a clinic table. Then, Britney begins a monologue, more a stream of consciousness, probably due to the nervousness she is now feeling.
Britney’s abortion serves merely as the backdrop to her thoughts about a woman she met in the waiting room, her relationship with her mother, chasing her elusive dreams, and a boy she once knew, who is now probably living in a little house in Aberdeen.
“…a young woman reflecting on her life while undergoing an abortion procedure.”
A Little House in Aberdeen runs six and a half minutes—the length of a typical abortion procedure. The monologue is orchestrated with significant points of discomfort experienced, as shown on Britney’s face. Goss’ film isn’t a political statement on a woman’s right to choose or a grand statement surrounding issues of access. It is more about the fact that a significant number of women have had abortions and speaks to the weight of that decision for an individual woman at this specific moment in time.
Emily Goss’ writing, directing, and acting make A Little House in Aberdeen a solid film from start to finish — brilliantly conceived and executed.
"…speaks to the weight of that decision for an individual woman at this specific moment in time."
