Category: Media Review

The Sound of Freedom and its Misleading Narratives about Youth Trafficking

Julia Kopala March 18, 2024 0 Comments
Approximately 350,000 children are trafficked across international borders each year, according to US State Department data from 2005.1 Due to the datedness of these statistics, the numbers may well be even higher today. Unfortunately, this population, though greatly affected by sexual violence, is not often spoken about.  Youth trafficking is the illegal movement of children, typically for the...

Women Talking and the Importance of Movies about Survival

Anna Schwartz February 28, 2023 0 Comments
Women Talking is a film about survival. Written and directed by Sarah Polley (and Oscar-nominated for Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture), it’s based on the book of the same name by Miriam Toews, which is based, in turn, on true events. It follows the women of an isolated Mennonite community that has been rocked by a series of violent rapes. While the men are gone, they must vote on their...

From “yes” to “no”, a Reflection on Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal

Julia Kopala May 19, 2022 0 Comments
tw: mentions of rape, legal process of sexual violence, details of sexual assault  In a new mini-series, “Anatomy of a Scandal” on Netflix, Parliamentary minister James Whitehouse is accused of rape following the news release of a sexual affair. James and a younger parliamentary researcher, Olivia, engage in a months-long affair. The story begins as one in which the viewer is more...

The Meme-ification of Sexual Harassment

Laura Browne December 29, 2021 0 Comments
If you’ve been on TikTok at all in the past few months, you’ve probably encountered the “Mommy? Sorry” meme.  If you haven’t, I’ll explain!  The meme originated with a video of a man approaching his girlfriend in a parking lot, catching her attention by saying: “Excuse me—mommy?” Immediately after saying it, he apologizes and tries to correct himself, but just winds...

The Last Duel falls Short in its Depiction of Sexual Violence – A Survivor’s Review

Julia Kopala December 16, 2021 0 Comments
*cw/tw: This review containers spoilers for the film and implicitly speaks of sexual assault. Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel presented a promising film about sexual violence in history, but my viewing experience left me wondering if this was supposed to be a social commentary on sexual violence or if it was just a medieval epic with some social comments thrown in. If the intention of the...