V-Day: Until the Violence Stops

Eve Ensler's powerful one-woman--emphasis on "woman"--off-Broadway show The Vagina Monologues so stirred women around the world, with its themes of self-empowerment and self-determination, that it spawned a worldwide protest movement against rape, female circumcision, and other female-directed violence. Abby Epstein's impassioned documentary V-Day tells that story, from the celebrity-studded performances of The Vagina Monologues to raise money for awareness programs, to the grassroots efforts to protect women from abuse of all kinds--physical, psychological, and spiritual--all over the planet. Lots of famous faces appear here--Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson--but the power of the film comes from the women whose voices have yet to be fully heard: the Philippine "comfort women" forced into prostitution during WWII, those sexually mutilated in the name of tradition in Africa, and Native Americans recounting the affects of culturally sanctioned violence. Women comfortable in their own bodies--and aware of the historical and current campaigns to prevent women from being fully sexual beings--won't be shocked by what's here, but others will be...and that's a good thing. More people, men and women alike, need to be aware of the important work the V-Day organization is doing. DVD extras include additional scenes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Johanson)