Archive for the
‘Dr. Julia’ Category

Ask an Expert: Reel Talk with Dr. Julia Maternity care in a post-Dobbs environment Dr. Julia Arnold VanRooyen Sarah Joy Byington’s film “Labor + Justice” takes place in a dystopian future where women who “fail” to deliver a living baby are immediately sentenced to death by a grotesque panel of judges. These men (and one [...]

Jahmil Eady’s short film exposes a nearly unfathomable yet routine practice in the treatment of incarcerated pregnant patients in the U.S.: shackling inmates during pregnancy and labor.  “The Bond” tells the story of Aria, a pregnant incarcerated woman who endures this treatment. Most viewers will instinctively understand how humiliating it must be to give birth [...]

It takes less than three minutes to watch the brilliant short film “Always & Forever,” a devastating commentary on the consequences of forcing children to give birth. Though the film is fictional, it points to reality: An increasing number of states are effectively doing just that to their pregnant teenagers.  Lack of comprehensive sexuality education, [...]

Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome’s, "Long Line of Ladies" is a beautiful and inspiring film that follows a young girl, Ahty, as she prepares for her Ihuk, an empowering ceremony that girls in the Karuk tribe experience after they have their first period. The ceremony involves many tribal members and celebrates entry into womanhood. Intensive [...]

Our resident medical expert Dr. Julia watched “Summer Fridays” and has a few tips for viewers about how to navigate your sexual health care.  Be proactive about your sexual health and minimize your risk of STIs In Blair Baker and Chloe Berk’s short film “Summer Fridays,” we follow Frankie as she visits her gynecologist for [...]

“My Year of Dicks,” based on the memoir by Pamela Ribon and directed and animated by Sara Gunnarsdóttir, brilliantly and humorously reveals the inner thoughts of a teenage girl determined to lose her virginity. It’s refreshing to see teenage angst about sex from the perspective of a girl. Much more commonly, we see films about [...]

Talking about consent with Dr. Julia Our resident medical expert Julia Arnold VanRooyen weighs in on how comprehensive sex education can advance the conversation around consent.  The more openly and frequently we talk about consent, the more comfortable everyone will feel expressing both their desires and their reservations. It should be routine to check in [...]

Learn more about how Hollywood negotiates tricky scenes from certified intimacy coordinator Nisha Ahuja (“Never Have I Ever,” “Mayans”).Nisha (she/they) will join Alex Sgambati for a rePROFilm Instagram Live #AskAnExpert conversation at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET Feb. 7.Follow @reprofilm View this post on Instagram A post shared by rePROFilm (@reprofilm) nisha ahuja (she/they) : [...]

Courtney Hope Therond’s short film “Rehearsal” is engrossing and uncomfortable. In depicting the gray areas around issues of consent, the film provides a great entry point into conversations about this topic.  Discussion Questions Consider a couple of specific scenes from the film:  In the very beginning, Jared tells the actors they are they to block [...]