These brave students deserve to be heard.

These brave students deserve to be heard.

was not prepared for this movie. Being a feminist writer, I spend a lot of my time examining many of the abuses and injustices that women face in this society. I’ve developed the thick skin required to do such work, but I must admit that it has left me pretty numb. So when I sat down to watch a documentary on the rape crisis on college campuses, I wasn’t expecting anything to shock or surprise me. But this film, focused primarily on the direct testimonies of victims of sexual assault, almost immediately elicits an emotional response. These young people recount how their excitement for college life turned into a nightmare as they became one of the 25 percent of women, according to One in Four, across America who are assaulted during their college years. The heartbreaking testimonies of victims are juxtaposed with interviews of college professors and officials discussing the politics behind how colleges handle reports of sexual abuse. It is quickly apparent, yet no less shocking, how far these institutions will go to silence victims and sweep assault under the rug. Repeatedly, these women are not only let down by the institution that is supposed to care for them, but they are often revictimized by hostility and victim-blaming…