1 of 7 | Henry Thomas and Adrianne Palicki filmed “Due West,” in theaters now and VOD Tuesday, in Texas. Photo courtesy of Cineverse
Adrianne Palicki and Henry Thomas said their new film, Due West, in theaters now and on digital video-on-demand Tuesday, is about community and compassion.
Palicki plays a woman, referred to only as The Woman until the final scene, traveling through Texas in secret to secure an abortion.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Palicki, 43, said that regardless of one’s views on reproductive rights, the message of Due West is the kindly people who help The Woman along the way.
“The message of the movie, honestly, is community,” Palicki said.
Thomas, 52, plays Pastor Mike, the community minister who can tell something is wrong and wants to help. The Woman is reluctant to share, assuming the church would condemn her decision.
“The idea of the film is that there are good people out there and people have good intentions sometimes,” Thomas said. “It’s about compassion and community coming together.”
Directed by Evan Miller and written by Miller and Hardy Janson, Palicki became an executive producer, along with Nancy and Jeffrey Palicki, The Orville co-star Scott Grimes, and Thomas. Depicting The Woman’s personal journey was important to Palicki because she hopes it encourages conversations.
“About 80% of the women I know have gone through something like this,” Palicki said. “I never knew. We just don’t talk about it.”
The irony, to Palicki, was that Texas tax incentives enabled the independent film to shoot in Marfa, Marathon and Alpine, Texas, the very state that was passed strict abortion laws.
“It kind of became Evan and I against the world as far as getting money for this thing which is very difficult to get money for a movie about abortion in Texas,” Palicki said. “I hate asking people for money but a lot of the people I asked were people in my life who I knew this meant a lot to and would want to help.”
Taking Due West to film festivals shows Palicki that those conversations were beginning.
“Either side, especially men, have come up to me and said, ‘Hey, never thought of it like that’ and that’s the point,” Palicki said. “You are supposed to get people to think and talk. It’s not about lecturing.”
Thomas agreed there is room for people on both sides of the debate to watch Due West.
“The thing about art is you can take it or leave it,” Thomas said. “I think the best art and the best films leave you with thoughts and maybe even conflict because art should make you think.”
The film gradually reveals the purpose of The Woman’s journey. For the release of the film, marketing materials confirm that she is seeking to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
Palicki agreed with the decision to put the subject matter in the forefront.
“At this point, it’s an important story and we’re proud of it,” she said. “So it is a story about an unwanted pregnancy. No two cases are the same and it’s never easy for any woman.”
Some viewers, Palicki found, were open to the film simply because they followed her career.
“I had a lot of people from all walks of life, even like Smallville which I was in one episode of, come to these screenings,” Palicki said. “It’s been really beautiful actually.”
The climax of the film demanded an emotional performance from Palicki. She walks around a motel in a long take, with camera and sound crew members coordinating the walk with her.
“Friday Night Lights really prepared me for that,” she said. “I had quite a few really raw moments on that show and this character is very similar to her.”
Palicki said they filmed the motel scene three times and the second take is in the movie.
Due West reminded Thomas of his first film, 1981’s Raggedy Man, which he made before E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial. Thomas said he is hopeful that the kind of storytelling he learned from writer William D. Whitliff, director Jack Fiske and costars Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek is making a comeback.
“The stories have to come from a real place,” Thomas said. “So I think the writers have to mine more human stories like this to keep things going and I think we’re moving more towards that and kind of away from superhero mania.”
With Due West, Palicki returned to her sense that conversations about reproductive rights need to be more widespread.
“I think this issue has hit more homes than we think,” she said. “People just don’t talk about it because there’s shame, there’s hurt, there’s pain involved. Also, people don’t want to stir a pot.”
