For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her hysterical and relatable brand of humour. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna winds up unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand, she is forced to face the uncomfortable realities of independent womanhood for the first time. Donna’s drunken hookup—and epic lapse in prophylactic judgment—turns out to be the beginning of a hilarious and totally unplanned journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
Tickets: $15 (Members from $10)
"Jenny Slate has been my long-time collaborator and partner on the Marcel the Shell shorts and books, and this film is a favourite. It’s a super charming, unexpectedly buoyant rom-com that she made with writer-director Gillian Robespierre and writer–producer Liz Holm back in 2014, when reproductive rights were not as endangered as they are today. It’s about a young comedian who decides to get an abortion following a one-night stand. Upon release, the film was heralded for being a winning depiction of how abortion can be a brave and positive act—not only a literal life-saving procedure in many instances, but also a life-saver for the budding career and relationship of the film’s hero.
I also love the film for the time capsule it now represents to me. Backdropped by the ‘Brooklyn alt comedy scene’ of the 2010s, it’s a romantic depiction of the grimy green rooms and disgusting dive bars where I screened so many of my early short films, including the very first Marcel the Shell short film. I remember it was late summer because the whole place stunk like garbage."
- Dean Fleischer-Camp, director of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Want more? Check out The World of Marcel the Shell, a special film series that tours the offbeat inspiration and influences behind the iconic stop-motion character Marcel the Shell. Curated in partnership with director Dean Fleischer-Camp.
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