The Hunting Ground (2015)

 

 

 

 

The Hunting Ground is a documentary film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Written and directed by Kirby Dick

** Produced by Amy Ziering

** Run time: 103 minutes

 

PART ONE

This film focuses on a very sensitive topic: sexual harassment and rape on college campuses in the United States. It is difficult to talk about it and even more difficult to know what to do about it. Even though many people would like to sweep this issue under the carpet, it is a fact that it is happening and it is not a minor issue. While most victims are female, some are male. Rape is not an act of intimacy; it is a demonstration of male power. Anybody can be a victim of this crime.

 

Some cases are never reported for a number of reasons:

 

(1) Perhaps the victim is ashamed to talk about it.

(2) Perhaps the victim is afraid that she (or he) will not be taken seriously.

 

For obvious reasons, no one knows how many cases go unreported. It could be 50 per cent or more.

 

Some cases are reported. But most of them do not lead to a prosecution in which the perpetrator is punished. In most cases the perpetrator is known but never punished.

 

When the perpetrator is punished, he may have to pay a fine of 50 or 100 dollars or he may be suspended from campus for a few days. This kind of punishment does not seem very harsh. A perpetrator is rarely punished by being expelled permanently from the university.

 

This film makes two major claims:

 

# 1. Sexual assault is a serious problem on college campuses in the US.

# 2. College administrators of many universities try to bury this issue, because they are afraid that these cases will tarnish the reputation of the institution. They are afraid it will be bad for business. They may be right.

 

While many administrators are reluctant to believe the victims, who come forward to report a sexual crime, they are often prepared to believe the suspects when they claim they are innocent.

 

Many persons are interviewed in the film. I am not going to mention the names here, because the list is too long. The persons who are interviewed can be divided into four categories:

 

# 1. Victims and their families

# 2. Experts: reporters and scholars

# 3. University staff: administrators and teachers

# 4. A former Notre Dame police officer who resigned, because he felt that rape cases were being handled in a wrong way. He felt the institution was trying to protect the students who were suspected of having committed a crime.

 

Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, two students from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, appear several times, because they decided to start a campaign against rape on campus and to build a national network of students who wish to raise awareness about this issue.

 

Throughout the film, the testimonies of witnesses are supplemented by clips from contemporary television reports that offer additional information about the topic.  

 

PART TWO

What do reviewers say about this film? Here Are the results of three review aggregators:

 

74 per cent = IMDb

77 per cent = Meta

85 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

93 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

On the US version of Amazon, there are more than four hundred ratings of this film. The average rating is 4.6 stars:

 

** 77 per cent offer five stars

** 13 per cent offer four stars

** 6 per cent offer three stars

** 4 per cent offer one or two stars

 

While there are many positive reviews, it is important to notice that this film has also provoked some very negative statements. Criticism comes first and foremost from Emily Yoffe of Slate magazine and from Jesse Singal of New York Magazine.

 

In addition, nineteen professors from Harvard Law School co-authored a public letter, which complains about the film. The critics claim the film is inaccurate and that some conclusions are based on statistics which are doubtful or simply false.

 

The filmmakers – director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering - have defended their work and they have responded to almost every argument raised against them and their film on a point by point basis.

 

I have read the critical statements as well as the responses made by the filmmakers. In my opinion, their responses are quite convincing.

 

PART THREE

One obvious way to criticize the film is to say that the filmmakers blow this issue out of proportion. Even if many women (and a few men) report a sexual assault on campus, this does not necessarily mean that their reports are true. There could be some false reports.

 

This objection deserves to be considered. The filmmakers do not evade this objection. It is considered in the film, as it should be. Some people make false reports. And, obviously, false reports should not be used to magnify an issue to make it seem bigger and more serious than it actually is.

 

False reports of rape are more or less as common as false reports of other crimes. The level is 2-8 per cent. When we have one hundred reports, less than ten may be false. On the other hand, more than 90 reports may be true.

 

Many university presidents are quoted in the film. They all say they “take this issue very seriously.” When we hear them say this, we assume it means they will do whatever they can to support the victim and do whatever they can to identify and punish the perpetrator. However, this is not always what they really mean.

 

Sometimes it means they are afraid the reputation of the institution will be tarnished, if these reports become part of the public record. A university is not only a place of learning, it is also a business. Universities want to look good in the eyes of potential students and their parents and in particular in the eyes of potential donors.

 

Rape cases are not good for the reputation of a university. That is why some administrators try to persuade victims not to make an official report and certainly not to contact the police off campus.

 

CONCLUSION

Many reviewers say the film is painful to watch, but the issue is too important to be ignored. We have to face the facts, even if we do not like them. It is necessary to have an honest and open discussion; it is necessary to deal with the problem in order to improve the current situation and try to solve the problem.

 

This film is a powerful document about a serious problem and therefore it is highly recommended. Watch it! I think it will make a big impression on you.

 

PS # 1. The Invisible War is a documentary film which premiered in 2012. It is about sexual assault in the US military; directed by Kirby Dick; produced by Amy Ziering and Tanner King Barklow; written by Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering and Douglas Blush.

 

PS # 2. For more information, see the following books:

 

** Asking for it: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about it by Kate Harding (2015)

** Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer (hardcover 2015, paperback 2016)

** Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape by Jessica Luther (2016)

 

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