At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal is a documentary film which premiered on American television (HBO) in 2019.
This film is about a horrible scandal which was exposed in 2016: more than 200 teenagers and young women - mostly female athletes - had been sexually abused and molested by Doctor Larry Nassar during the time when he was the medical expert for the USA gymnastics team.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Producers: David Ulich and Steven Ungerleider
** Director: Erin Lee Carr
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 88 minutes
Several persons are interviewed in this film.
Here are some names:
# 1. Victims of Larry Nassar:
Mostly former gymnasts and dancers
Larissa Boyce
Rachael Denhollander
Kat Ebert
Lyndsy Gamet
Trinea Gonczar
Isabell Hitchins
Kathy Johnson
Taylor Livingston
Morgan McCaul
Jessica O’Beirne
Melody Postuma
Jessica Ann Smith
Kyle Stevens
Kristen Thelen
Amanda Thomashow
Chelsea Zerfas
# 2. Reporters
Rebecca Davis O'Brien – Wall Street Journal
Juliet Macur – New York Times
Scott Reid – Orange County Register
# 3. Lawyers
Manvir (Mick) S. Grewal Sr. – attorney for several plaintiffs
Shannon Smith – attorney for Larry Nassar
# 4. The judge
Rosemarie Aquilina
Archive footage is used between the talking heads. Archive footage is used to support and supplement the statements made by the participants.
There is no narrator in this film. But on-screen messages are used from time to time.
Larry Nassar (born 1963) graduated from medical school in 1985. In the following year, he joined the USA gymnastics team as the medical expert.
It is not known precisely when he began to abuse and molest teenagers and young women who came to him, because they needed medical care. It was probably around 1990.
He continued to abuse and molest young athletes, who came to see him, because he was never stopped.
In 2016, when the scandal began, it was revealed that a young female gymnast had tried to report him in 1997, but she had been persuaded to drop the complaint. This is why he was not stopped at that time.
In 2016, when the scandal began, many people came forward in order to support Doctor Nassar. They said he was a good man who cared for his clients.
These people said they could not believe that such a good man had done something that was inappropriate to his clients.
His lawyer Shannon Smith explained that Doctor Nassar had many supporters and she seemed confident that her client was going to be acquitted.
His lawyer became less confident when a police investigation found more than 37,000 pictures with child pornography on his computer.
From that moment, Larry Nassar’s fate was sealed, even though the testimony from the former gymnasts and dancers had not yet been presented in a court of law.
A trial took place in 2018. At first, the number of young women who were prepared to come forward and testify in open court was low.
But once the first witnesses had testified, an increasing number of women decided that they would no longer remain silent about what had happened to them, and the number of witnesses grew to more than two hundred.
The doctor, who had been respected and untouchable for many years, suddenly had to face strong condemnation and disgust.
During the trial, witnesses were allowed to address the defendant directly, which is unusual. The judge allowed them to do this, because it was a special case.
Whenever a witness had concluded her testimony, the audience in the courtroom applauded, which is also unusual. The judge allowed this as well, because it was a special case.
When the evidence had been presented, Larry Nassar was found guilty of the charges brought against him.
He was sentenced to so many years in prison – without the possibility of parole – that he will never walk out of prison as a free man.
What do reviewers say about this film?
Here are some results:
80 percent = IMDb
82 percent = Meta
91 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
100 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
As you can see, the ratings are very good.
When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that the difference between the audience and the critics is quite small. Both groups offer a high rating.
There is often a significant gap between the two groups when documentary films are rated. The critics tend to go high, while the audience tends to go low. But in this case, the two groups offer almost the same rating.
This remarkable fact shows that this film appeals not only to the professional critics but also to the general audience.
I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them.
The story about Larry Nassar and the crimes he committed is important. This story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCE
# 1. Film and video
Athlete A
A documentary film which premiered in 2020
This film is about the scandal connected with Doctor Larry Nassar and the USA Gymnastics Team
What do reviewers say about it?
Here are some results:
76 percent = IMDb
92 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
100 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
# 2. Books
What is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics
By Rachael Denhollander
2019
The Girls: An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down
By Abigail Pesta
2019
Start by Believing: Larry Nassar’s Crimes, the Institutions that Enabled Him and the Brave Women Who Stopped a Monster
By John Barr and Dan Murphy
2020
*****
Athlete A
A documentary film
which premiered in 2020
*****
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