Friday, May 20, 2011

The Accused (1988)

I really, really, really liked this movie! I think it should be included in the course next time. It is so good. It’s like, if a lifetime movie was good, but as touching as they are meant to be and relatable and well put together.

Quick summary: Sarah Tobias (played by Jodie Foster) is a waitress who goes out for a drink after having a fight with her boyfriend and ends up getting gang raped on a pinball machine. She prosecutes the three men who rape her, but then goes to trial again against the men in the bar cheering the crime on. Her lawyer Kathryn Murphy (played by Kelly McGillis), comes up with the idea when she charges the rapists with reckless endangerment instead of rape because it carries the same sentence without the sexual connotation.

The whole movie grabbed my attention from start to finish. The editing, the cinematography, the writing was all just so impassioned towards the story. No needless scenery shots were taken; every look has a point or a motive for the filmmakers.

Sarah Tobias herself goes on this fascinating journey from being of “questionable character” to becoming an even stronger female figure. She isn’t a genius but she is smart enough; she can understand her own position, but not her lawyers. The movie makes a strong statement about what a women wears, and acts and whether this should cruelly affect a rape trial. Jodie Foster beat out actresses like Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, winning an Oscar for her performance.



If I didn't love her before this movie, Clarisse has nothing on Sarah...

1 comment:

Vladigogo said...

When I first started the class, I used this film, but on the evaluation the students said to dump it.

Maybe I will revisit it now and put it back.