Certificate: 18/R
Rating: *****
The Accused is a film, which under normal circumstances may have completely passed me by. I don’t go to shops asking the store managers “Have you got any good films about rape and injustice?”. The only reason I watched The Accused, which I suppose also makes me slightly biased, is that I am a huge fan of Jodie’s work.
Basically
the story (based on a true story) is of a young woman (Sarah Tobias played by
Jodie Foster) who lives in a trailer, doesn’t have a lot of money and let’s
face it, is not the most law-abiding citizen. I won’t spoil it for you, but the
idea is, that she gets raped in the back of some sleazy bar and wants to bring
the rapists (and not only them) to justice with the help of Katherine Murphy
attorney at law (Kelly McGillis)
Personally
being a little young I found the film difficult to watch. It upset me but then
again that’s what its there to do. It’s a social awareness docu-drama, wow that’s
a mouthful!
The most
shocking thing about this film is the rape scene. Its not that it’s graphic,
gruesome or scary that’s the problem, It’s the fact that you never expect to
see it! The film begins after the rape and it’s not until the last 10 minutes
that you ever even see it, so it just comes as a real surprise (and not a nice
one) because you really don’t expect it.
The
weird thing about seeing the rape scene is that you just don’t realise that
Sarah Tobias was raped. When you see it, something just click and you’re sat
there murmuring “Oh my God” under your
breath. It isn’t until you see the rape that you realise what kind of an ordeal
she has been through, and trust me it’s not a pleasant one.
The
acting from both Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis is fantastic. The interaction
between them is both funny and touching. Of course Jodie Foster won a
thoroughly deserved Academy Award for her performance. I won’t spoil any
dialogue but the scene, which I think is 31 minutes into the film (may be 21)
is a scene all aspiring actor and actresses should see!
All in
all this film is a must see albeit it tough plainly because of the acting. It’s
a film about a strong woman, who has been put through a degrading and awful
experience, and it’s about struggle to fight for dignity respect and justice
and nobody could play that better than Jodie Foster.