Cases of sexual assault are hard to erase from the social psyche. However, they become even more difficult when the systems in place to help causes problems for the victims. In a world of documentaries that could explore this specific subject matter, Victim or Suspect is a deep exploration that employs case-based research methods to uncover a dark pattern. To find out who has directed the film, who appears in it, what it is about and when it releases, you are just in the right place.
Find out everything about the Netflix documentary film below.
Victim or Suspect Crew
A new documentary is coming to Netflix straight from the archives of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. This is a new English-language documentary following the journalist Rachel (Rae) de Leon as she sees inequalities in how sexual assaults are reported. The film is directed by Nancy Schwartzman and will also feature Amanda Pike in the film. It is shot by Jenni Morello and edited by Inbal B. Lessner and Kim Roberts.
Victim or Suspect Plot/Synopsis
The trailer for this film ends with the phrase, “The justice system is sometimes not meant for everybody.” While that is the exact definition of what one should expect from the justice system, this film explores how law enforcement became a cornerstone in the way sexual assaults were reported. These cases in the United States don’t just threaten Americans but people all over the world as we start to realise how deeply pervasive this problem is.
Journalist Rachel (Rae) de Leon features in the first shot of the trailer as we see her speaking to a victim of sexual assault, asking if the police officer ever gave the indication that they didn’t believe what she was saying. The police officer then explained that if the person didn’t hold you down, then it isn’t rape. The documentary tries to paint a picture of how these women were not only dismissed but actively persecuted for filing false police reports.
There are many ways to handle this case. Rachel looked at over 160 of them, and in every one of them, we see that the victims were instead cuffed because they weren’t allowed to file a false police report. Before all this, police officers would ask victims to recant their experiences and poke holes in order to get them to confess that they were lying. Officers have also blatantly stated that if the victim has been lying, then ‘things will go south.’
After this, we see a barrage of reasons why people may believe that the victims were lying, mostly attributed to the fact that they had already given consent when that was not what the victims stated. It is harrowing to see alleged victims turn into suspects. Some women have also shared that there weren’t any cameras, so there was no opportunity to see whether they are telling the truth or lying. We also see multiple interrogation room footages that really drive home the point that there is a deep-seated rape culture pervasive in society that this documentary sets to reveal.
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Victim or Suspect Release Date and Trailer
Victim or Suspect will be streaming on Netflix from May 23, 2023. What do you think this documentary will uncover? Let us know in the comments below.
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