This past 2 weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris has reminded us of her record as an attorney who’s prosecuted sexual predators, among other criminals and suddenly I felt better equipped to choose some highly acclaimed viewing options that deal with this challenging subject matter. Understandably, sexual predation is not a subject with which everybody will want to engage. I find it difficult myself. And yet what struck me about the following stories is their incredibly human perspectives, complex characters and masterfully executed stories.

BABY REINDEER (series, Netflix, 2024) One of those shows you’re best going into it knowing as little as possible, but that may prove difficult given all the well-earned buzz. Suffice it to say, you will be hard-pressed to find a story centered around a stalker and her stalkee explored in a more original, compelling and utterly human way. I’ve never seen anything like it, and yet there is something so resonant and relevant, it feels like the perfect show for our times —a spotlight on a society that makes it so easy to lose one’s way and nearly impossible to find it back.

UNBELIEVABLE (series, Netflix, 2019) This has been on my queue since the onset of the pandemic. Yet while I’d heard it was brilliant, I couldn’t bring myself to check it out until this past week. Once I started, however, I couldn’t stop. Wow. This limited series follows two storylines that eventually converge. The first follows a rape victim primarily in the aftermath of her attack, during which our painfully flawed justice system inevitably assaults the victim all over again. Balancing this, however, is the second storyline that introduces the promise of a solution. Two female cops and their team who doggedly piece together previously ignored connections on their hunt for a serial rapist. They are the heart and soul of the show that gives us hope for our victim, and a better system if only we’d step up our game as these characters all do. An excellent mystery/procedural, with a fabulous cast (including the always wonderful Toni Collette) and so much more.

LAST SUMMER (in theaters, 2023): French director, Catherine Breillat, is unquestionably an auteur with a knack for creating highly complex, deeply flawed and utterly human characters. This film depicting a sexual relationship between an older stepmother and her underaged stepson is no exception. Neither is the hero or the villain but two people who, in their search for connection, put each other in horrible positions after both have spent a life with other people putting them in horrible positions. And though, obviously, the adult is the one who is culpable in such situations, Breillat’s storytelling makes it hard to see things quite so cut and dry. Our female protagonist is to vulnerable and relatable, that even when she behaves in ways we can’t in good conscience support, we somehow also can’t entirely hate her. After the film, it occurred to me, I’d have had a much harder time with this story if the roles had been reversed – an older stepdad and a young stepdaughter. I then questioned if that made me a sexist. But after further reflection,  I realized this story wouldn’t be this story if the roles were reversed, because the stepmother has experienced a distinctly female existence that has made her the person who comes to be in this position. That said, this is unquestionably a film that requires much discussion in its aftermath, so be sure not to watch it alone.

I’m glad these kinds of stories are being told in sensitive ways that help us engage and question or society. It’s a good time for these discussions. So, in that spirit, I hope these prove valuable viewing experiences for those who check them out.

Until next time,

Devi