as A rape victim i at times do find it hard to watch rape scenes but i at least am able to tolerate it if its portrayed as a bad thing. the way the lead just brushed off everything and went back for more rape which was HIGHLY unrelstic through me out of the movie. 3/19! the director is clearly demented as well as any man who enjoyed this film.
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Hello there, I just dropped by to share my point of view.
The movie in no way does it glorify rape. We are supposed to be bewildered by her lack of a breakdown in succession to her assault. A movie does not have to teach you how to feel, and her you could see that even her friends were bewildered at her lack of emotion over it. The main character was twisted, and even took part in a twisted game with her rapist, where they staged the situation even though he had her consent later. And yet, she had staged it at the end, wanting to get her revenge for what he did to her and I think she wanted her son to get a backbone for once. But he was a man who clearly was also suffering. Yes I mean the rapist. He couldn't have sex with someone who would give their consent clearly. And I know this sounds crazy to you, that you think the fact that the story made him less of a monster, but that is why I thought I could help out.
I happen to be at the other end of what he has, meaning the less consent someone takes from me when I have sex, the more I enjoy it. You could say I have a rape fetish. Well it's not as severe as his, maybe because I am a woman, but it is still really hard for me to enjoy sex with someone if they are caring to me during. I have been unable to hold on to relationships before because of it, and I have felt shame before as well. He found it a necessity to do what he did in order to keep his facade as a normal loving successful husband. Which was messed up and horrible towards his victim(s) of course, but that is why the heroine doesn't forgive him either, well, his jesus loving crazy wife did I guess though, but she is no prime example. Anyways, in my perspective the movie was not glorifying rape in anyway whatsoever. The heroine was psychotic, and her lack of any emotional breakdown and the way she tried to go on with her life after the rape was MEANT to be bizarre to us. No one was supposed to feel comfortable with it. But, there are all kinds of people out there, and her reaction was "out of the norm" and she did have a pretty twisted life and background which makes you curious and makes you try and understand why she reacted like that. That is also probably why the rape scene is the first thing you see in the movie, or more precisely, the way she deals with the aftermath, since we essentially see what happens right after at first.
That being said, I do get that your circumstance of being a rape victim must have given you a different point of view or a reason to be angry. I happen to have been assaulted as well, although as you might understand, for me that was a situation I dealt with very differently from you. There are all kinds of people out there. There was that game programmer dude in the movie who was into "crushing", which I can assure you, is a real thing, even if quite twisted a lot of the time. Humans are complicated after all..
if you think im reading all that celopatrm you must be crazy! this film glorfies rape and theres nothing you can say that will change that fact. i can easily imagine a rapist watching this film and feeling content that theres some twisted chick out there that might enjoy him raping her.
shareGrow up. There are twisted people who enjoy in sex sado-masochism, whether you want admit to yourself or not. Rapist will be rapist before watching this film or after watching it. If it is to heavy for you, than you shouldn`t watch it. Maybe this genre isn`t for you - stick to Meg Ryan type of love movies.
shareYou are correct.
There are plenty of guys on this discussion board saying exactly this, that she liked being raped, and that she "played" this "game" because she enjoyed "rough sex".
***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**
I appreciate your honesty. That was brave of you to say.
share89 on metacritic is a crazy good score. Looks like most people are enjoying it
I am Senor Velasco, I drink my milk with tabasco
IMO the movie never glorified rape. The rape scenes were really violent and disturbing but when Michele had the "consensual" rape with her attacker it was her trying to seize control in an uncontrollable situation. By the last time she had realized their relationship was completely sick and he couldn't be controlled and it's hinted she orchestrated his murder by making sure her son would walk in on them and surprise them both.
It is a very dark disturbing movie though and I don't blame you for being upset.
IMO the movie never glorified rape.
Interesting discussion. I had no idea going in what the movie was about, except that it was a thriller. I was stunned as I watched it, shocked and horrified too. But I also thought it was totally absorbing and beautiful, and I thought Ms Huppert's performance was breathtaking. I gave it a 9/10, and shared it on FB, but also said that I wasn't necessarily recommending it. For me it was a trip into a world and a life where normal values do not guide behavior, and that is a bold and useful thing to produce, and to experience.
One thing I would disagree with, I_created_U, and that is that I do not think she ever intended to go to the police. I think she just said that to entice him to come to her again, and she intended for him to know that that's what she was doing, and he did know that she was daring him to do it again. But he did not know that her son was going to show up, and I think she thought that he would show up.
--
GEORGE
And all's fair in love and war?
MRS. BAILEY
[primly] I don't know about war.
One thing I would disagree with, I_created_U, and that is that I do not think she ever intended to go to the police. I think she just said that to entice him to come to her again, and she intended for him to know that that's what she was doing, and he did know that she was daring him to do it again. But he did not know that her son was going to show up, and I think she thought that he would show up.
He doesn't get off scot free. He dies. She just took justice into her own hands.
And secondly she was in no way an average person. She was pretty psychotic herself.
Not that the people around her were any better. There's not a single likable person in the whole movie. Other than a bit of a shock at her sudden revelation of being raped, no one (not even her ex husband who's the closest we get to a sympathetic character) mentions the rape afterwards.
Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Criedshare
<< IMO the movie never glorified rape. >>
Yeah...I don't walk away from this (not very good) film thinking it "glorifies" rape. In fact, when the story opens, we don't even see the event; we just hear it. And when we revisit the event in flashback, it's not like the scene is shot in a sexy or titillating way, or that the heroine is shown to enjoy the act.
The rape scenes actually seem almost detached.
.
You are correct that the deep story line is that she did NOT like being raped and exacted a protracted and twisted investigation and revenge on her rapist.
However, from most males on this discussion forum, Huppert's character is seen is cold, evil, psychopathic, rape-loving, narcissistic, etc etc etc. And yet the lying cheating raping males are nearly absent from this board. (Mind you it could be because 95% of IMDB users are male).
Most of the comments think she actually participated in her father's murderous rampage.
This is Verhoeven's grand manipulation. Taking a PTSD female retaliating for rape, and presenting her as the evil one. He's done this a few times before. He's an expert at flattering the violent male ego.
***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**
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I totally agree.
This is a big-budget fetishy sexploitation flick. Verhoeven is obsessed with representing females who DARE to kill in self-defence as evil and cold and rape-liking and power-hungry and psychotic.
He plays beautifully to all misogynists of the world. A real man's man.
***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**
Rape isn't glorified. If anything is glorified, it's kinky sex.
I totally understand why a rape victim wouldn't like this film. All of the reviews mentioned the rape. If the movie upset you, my sympathies are with you.
I don't recall any of the women in this movie killing anyone.
Well.
It's always sad to hear people that goes through such bad experiences.
But that does not constitute an argument to call a movie bad or censor it.
People, unfortunately, goes through other types of traumatic things that if we ban all, than nothing is left.
The OP looks like she enjoys some hero or action movies, which in themselves glorifies violence in 99% of the time. We should be banning all those too. Empathy goes both ways, not only towards my personal traumas.
Again. It's always sad to hear people going through suffering. And that is enough reason for you say you didn't like the movie and you wouldn't recomend it to nobody, etc. That's your right, but it is as far as it can go. You cannot start throwing it all to others.
No "censorship" required, just hoping that people see through the artsy fartsy apologetics of harmful behaviours.
***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**
Another thing worth mentioning is that - this movie also has a subplot involving a serial killer who was in his time guilty of committing brutal murders, but having said that, its no doubt interesting as to how just emotionally overwhelming and also controversial even in cinema the subject of sexual abuse actually is.
And on the former part at least, few if any tend to worry or "complain about" at all.
Also, was the serial killer part in it meant to be real or was it in a way also serving up as a weird metaphor for its main rape and revenge albeit with some twists main plot? Some also questioned if the rape part of the film was real?
Well, how about BOTH parts being added together and we can debate on how insane the movie overall is in that sense too, and by the way, do we also find the serial killer to be almost as detestable a character as the rapist in this movie?
And were we, spoilers alert, glad that BOTH characters died (whatever controversial aspect or aspects in this movie or even in general in its theme of sexual abuse notwithstanding)?
P.S. I noticed that even though the main perp does indeed get killed in the end, many people were STILL unhappy with this movie and felt it was somewhat insensitive to its subject, and even the confrontation with lead antagonist's resulting death was also a problem for some people who ALSO were AGAINST him, what DOES this say, people?