If These Walls Could Talk

the episode of The Outer Limits

If These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 American anthology television film, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years apart: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co written by Nancy Savoca. Savoca directed the first and second segment while Cher directed the third. The women's experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades. Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, If These Walls Could Talk became a surprise success and was the highest rated movie in HBO history. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Television Movie and three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Miniseries or Television Film.

The 1952 segment deals with Claire Donnelly, a widowed nurse living in suburban Chicago, who becomes pregnant by her brother in law and decides to undergo abortion in order not to hurt her late husband's family. However, abortion at the time is strictly illegal. Claire eventually finds another nurse who provides her the phone number of a woman who can find her someone to perform the abortion. The woman on the phone tells Claire that the only trustworthy care provider she knows is located in Puerto Rico, and Claire cannot afford the travel costs—with air fare and hotel costs, the total trip would cost about $1000 (about $10,800 in 2022). After a failed attempt to end her pregnancy with a knitting needle, Claire contacts a man who comes to her home and performs a clandestine, hasty procedure on her while she lies atop her kitchen table. Claire finally manages to abort, but dies shortly afterwards due to massive blood loss.

The 1974 segment deals with Barbara Barrows, a struggling and aging mother with four children and a night shift working policeman husband, who discovers she is pregnant, despite having recently gone back to college. She considers abortion with the support of her teenage daughter, but ultimately chooses to keep the child.

The 1996 segment deals with Christine Cullen, a college student pregnant by a married professor, who decides on an abortion when he breaks up with her and only offers her money. After consulting with her roommate she makes an appointment with Dr. Beth Thompson. However, the abortion takes place during a violent protest and, during the actual abortion, an anti abortion protester walks in and shoots Dr. Thompson immediately after she completes the procedure. Christine comforts Dr. Thompson as the doctor slowly bleeds out.

As executive producer, Moore spent seven years trying to get the film made, until the project was eventually greenlit by HBO. HBO vice president Colin Callender said "I don't believe there's a studio in the world that would finance this picture" Cher commented "It took someone with Demi's power and fortitude to have something like this made. Without that power, you couldn't do it. These topics are not on everybody's top 10 list of things to do." Among the positive reviews were Siskel & Ebert, who both gave the film "Two Thumbs Up."

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. 1997 CableACE Awards Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries Peter Honess and Elena Maganini Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels Fiction Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Demi Moore Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Cher NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini Series Jada Pinkett Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Suzanne Todd, Demi Moore, Laura Greenlee, and J. J. Klein Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production Elena Maganini Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special Clare M. Corsick, Enzo Angileri, Sally J. Harper, Renate Leuschner, Voni Hinkle, Serena Radaelli, and Cammy R. Langer The President's Award HBO Films and Anasazi Productions Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Cher YoungStar Awards Best Young Actress in a Made for TV Film Hedy Burress 2000 Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards Lucy Award 2019 Online Film & Television Association Awards Television Hall of Fame: Productions

A sequel anthology, If These Walls Could Talk 2, aired in 2000. The subject addressed in it was lesbianism.