Rebecca Iliana Kahn, Director, Writer 

Sloan Grant(s) Received: 2023, NYU, $100k Feature Film Semi-Finalist

Project Type: Feature 

Genre: Drama

Length: 95 minutes

Field of Science: Biology

Stage: Development 

Synopsis: 

Puerto Rico, 1955. Lola travels door-to-door convincing rural women to try new contraceptives for hospital research studies. One of those women is her sister, Miriam. As a teenager Miriam married a poor sugarcane laborer. She struggles to feed herself and her multiplying children, relying on Lola to bring groceries whenever she can. But Lola has taken care of her little sister for as long as she can remember. Her mother left this world at the same time Miriam arrived and so the sacrifice must not be in vain. So when the latest contraceptive product fails to work for Miriam, Lola seeks out a revolutionary drug trial.

Irene, the American doctor leading the drug trial, is impressed by Lola’s ease with patients and hires her. As Lola begins recruiting women she finds they are more enthusiastic about it than any of the old products she used to bring them—including Miriam. It seems like a miracle. Take a pill and you won’t get pregnant. Moral uproar from the church adds fuel to what becomes a frenzied demand for the pill. Lola embraces her new role as the infamous “pill lady”. It even helps Miriam get hired at a needlework factory.

One by one strange side effects emerge. On her visits to each trial participant’s home Lola discovers women experiencing nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and other things. She presents her data to Irene, who promises to bring it to the attention of the drug’s formulators. But Lola soon finds out that the scientists aren’t at all concerned because they believe Puerto Rican women are prone to “emotional hyperactivity”. She confronts Irene, but is told not to worry because the drug has unparalleled efficacy. None of the women are pregnant.

Upon further investigation Lola learns that the drug is highly experimental. She lies to Miriam saying that Irene cut her from the trial. But Miriam is hesitant to go back to fearing another pregnancy especially now that she can feed her family without relying on Lola. So she buys pills from another trial participant behind Lola’s back.

When Miriam collapses her death is determined to be a pulmonary embolism. Irene assures Lola it is unrelated to the drug. Lola is unable to prove otherwise. Unanswered questions swirl around her. Nevertheless Miriam’s daughters need her and she must take care of them the best she knows how. Perhaps they will have the future she envisioned for Miriam.