Stray Bodies (2024)

Across the European Union, access to abortion, IVF and assisted dying varies drastically from country to country. Terminations are illegal in Malta, while nations like Italy protect a woman’s right to choose. If an Italian woman wants an IVF procedure, however, she must go abroad to countries like Greece. To circumvent these border restrictions, European residents are increasingly turning to medical tourism as a solution. While logistically practical, this personal travel can make for extremely vulnerable experiences. In this bold experiment, cameras accompany those seeking prohibited treatments from the start of their journeys, and the equally dedicated opponents they meet en route. Real women, performance artists and activists from both sides of the moral divides are given voice and space in this daring social critique. As controversial as it is timely, Stray Bodies demonstrates just how arbitrary bodily autonomy can be.