Not a Pretty Picture (NR)

synopsis

Blurring the line between documentary and storytelling, Martha Coolidge's compelling meta-narrative examines her own sexual assault in high school by a fellow classmate. Coolidge enlists actors to recreate the circumstances surrounding her rape and interviews her former roommate to illuminate the consequences and complexities of its aftermath. Hailed as "Brechtian" by critics, the film delves into the often-gendered psychology of rape as well as Coolidge's own struggle to understand how and why the assault occurred.