Shiloh
Crossing a Blue-Red state line in a dystopian 2029,
a father and daughter confront bounty hunters, law enforcement, and their own past.

There are different kinds of stories in this world. Some make you cry. Others send a shiver up your spine. Still others – true real gems in the cinematic universe – go so far as make you think.

Shiloh by Dave Schroder does all three at once.

Set in a 2029 world where traveling across state lines for an abortion is criminalized, Shiloh follows “Dad” and Grace (16) on a camping trip. They’re jetting from Missouri to Illinois – with the most innocent of intentions… right?

As they approach the dreaded border, the authoritarian, intrusive arm of the law stops their car to find out. What follows next is about as chilling as that opening scene of Inglorious Basterds when Nazi Hans Landa interrogates the farmer as to what he’s hidden underneath the floorboards:

The Trooper walks over to Grace’s window. She lowers it.

TROOPER
May I see your card, please.

Grace hands him her I.D. He scans it and hands it back.

TROOPER
Says here, you paid a visit to
your doctor six weeks ago.
That right?

Grace nods, staring ahead.

TROOPER
And when was your last menstruation?

Grace frowns and faces the Trooper.

GRACE
My what?

Assured Grace had her period just two weeks ago, the Trooper “confirms” it in his database, and lets them go. But not before he notes that Dad’s ID shows he was born in Point Pleasant, OH.

The Trooper leans in close and smiles.

TROOPER
And tell your friends back in Point Pleasant
that Ulysses S. Grant was a no talent butcher.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the two travel on. But even in Illinois, more dangers wait.

Two Bounty Hunters tail them in a brown sedan. No doubt, Dad and Grace are headed to a well-known local Planned Parenthood. And once they’ve got video taped evidence, both will surely fetch a neat reward.

So begins a devious game of cat-and-mouse; with Dad and Grace’s liberty at stake.

You think you know where this is going? Think again. A deeply humanistic tale with organic dialogue and characters you care about, Shiloh is a perfect companion-piece to our increasingly Handmaid’s Tale world. And a cinematic warning of what might well come.