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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
I want to begin this review with the case of Brock Allen Turner. On January 18, 2015, on the illustrious Stanford University campus. Turner, a 19-year-old student-athlete at Stanford, sexually assaulted 22-year-old Chanel Miller while she was unconscious. Luckily two graduate students intervened and held Turner punk-ass until the police came. Turner was initially indicted on five charges: two for rape, two for felony sexual assault, and one for attempted rape, although the two rape charges were later withdrawn. He was convicted by jury trial of three counts of felony sexual assault. The punk ass and cowardly Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail, followed by three years of probation.
Here is a messed-up connection: Persky had been a student and lacrosse team captain at Stanford University. He stated that “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him, and I think he will not be a danger to others.” Really! A federal judge says this. On top of that, Turner’s father, who dismissed his son’s crime as “20 minutes of action.” Really! Some people need to go to the booty house. Let them spend some considerable time in a maximum-security prison. I bring this up because many women are raped or sexually assaulted in this country. Some of the dumb reasons it happens are that the woman did something to entice men, wore revealing clothing, or had this look in their eye like they telepathically messaged them. Whatever the stupid reason, no man should touch a woman at all.
The Accused, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, is loosely based on the 1983 gang rape of Cheryl Araujo in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The case resulted in a nationwide coverage trial, explored what happens when someone is raped, and people just stand by and watch. Sarah Tobias (Foster) goes to her local bar for some fun and girl time with her friend. While there, Sarah is gang-raped by three men and is cheered and encouraged on by onlookers. Deputy District Attorney Katheryn Murphy (McGillis) questions Sarah’s checkered past with arrests and demeanor before the rape. While doing so, she offers the three men a plea bargain to a lesser offense, making them eligible for parole sooner, a whole lot sooner. Sarah, hearing the news, loses her shit and tells Murphy that she betrayed her. Against the advice of her boss, Murphy decides to prosecute three onlookers for their solicitation in encouraging the other men to rape Sarah. Will Sarah get the justice she deserves, or will the court system fail her?
I want to take a moment to applaud Jodie Foster as Sarah Tobias. I thought Silence of the Lambs was her first Academy Award win. Honestly, Foster was spectacular in this role, and she deserved her award because she was that good. I think she was far better than her iconic Silence of the Lambs role. Foster showed Sarah’s fear, pain, and anger as the case and story went on. I loved how she went H.A.M on dude’s truck. Foster also made sure to make Sarah a strong but sympathetic character. At the start, you think Sarah is a troubled person as she was arrested before, but when she told Sarah’s side of the story, you saw that she was wronged in so many ways. Let’s take a second to say, Damn Jodie! You looking oh so beautiful. Even when you got sassy and cut off your hair, you were fierce.
As far as the story goes, you should feel anger towards all the men who didn’t do anything and the people who watched. The situation was wrong on many levels, yet the film did a good job setting up the story to make you think Sarah is not the victim. It brings up her past; it shows that her demeanor is not up to standard. In other terms, she is white trash. The film shows that she wants to get justice, but the system and lawyers see others as not a threat. For example, when it came to the Frat boy, the lawyers said that him going to jail would harm his future. What about the woman’s future? If that was your daughter, you would be looking to prosecute to the fullest of the law. I liked how the film showed that Sarah fought back when that one dude was harassing her. It seemed he was trying to get a date, but he was a DISGUSTING fool, and I loved how Sarah dealt with him. That punk-ass bitch!
The court case was truly compelling. Showing Sarah wait and being nervous about giving her account gave you a feeling of nervousness because homegirl smoked a ton of cigarettes during that time. It was hard to watch when she gave her account because no one deserved that. Yet, the most powerful statement came from the boy who witnessed it. His story made your stomach turn inside out because it showed homegirl just having a good time and dancing. It showed all the piranhas and wolves surrounding her as she danced. To watch what happened should never happen to anyone. I am happy that all of them went to jail.
The Accused is a terrific film held up by Jodie Foster’s performance. Foster carries this film as Sarah, and she deserved her win at the Academy Awards. No one should go through this, and if they do, the crime doesn’t need to be jail. It needs to be something snipped off at the base of a dude’s body.
