Challenging our society's narrow definition of rape, filmmakers Margaret Lazarus and Renner Wunderlich's Rape Is… uses a variety of cinematic devices to paint a vivid picture of the indelible psychological scars left behind in a physical attack, as it interviews four survivors: Salamishah Tillet, a performance artist; Eve Ensler, playwright and author of The Vagina Monologues; Kathy Girod, who explains how being raped has permanently affected her conversation, what she wears, and how she thinks; and Rich Ridlon, currently serving jail time, who traces his own criminal behavior to systematic bouts of childhood assault by his uncle. The interviews are supplemented by conversations with Vednita Carter, founder of an organization that provides social services for prostitutes; and the lectures of Diane Rosenfeld of Harvard University, who elaborates on rape victims' feelings of guilt, fear, and self-loathing. Looking at how society's misconceptions about rape contribute to social and criminal injustice, the film is divided into segments that finish the definition started with the film's title, including: a crime against humanity, the end of trust, unwanted touch, betrayal of children, and cruel and unusual punishment. Particularly effective is the film's coverage of mass-institutionalized rape, including some heart-wrenching images of nameless women in war-torn countries and victims of the international sex trade whose countenances reveal the effects of rape far more effectively than words can convey. Blunt and challenging, this is recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)
Rape Is…
(2001) 34 min. $190. Cambridge Documentary Films. PPR. Color cover. Volume 17, Issue 5
Rape Is…
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