10 Movies About Sexual Assault Survivors and the #MeToo Movement

** The following movies contain storylines depicting sexual violence which may include graphic and disturbing scenes. These images can be particularly distressing for survivors of sexual assault, and limiting one’s exposure to this type of material may be advisable.

1. – Spotlight: Based on true events, the film chronicles the team of investigative reporters at the Boston Globe who exposed rampant and systemic sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. After breaking news of cover-ups at the highest level within the city’s Archdiocese, the investigation led to over 600 stories about the scandal being published in 2002. 249 priests and brothers were publicly accused of sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese, with over 1,000 childhood survivors believed to have been affected. In the film, actor Stanley Tucci plays the role of Mitchell Garabedian – the Boston attorney who represented countless victims. In a memorable scene, Garabedian says to one of the journalists, “Mark my words… If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.”
2. – Bombshell: The film follows multiple high-profile workplace sexual assault cases brought against former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. The stories of Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Kayla Pospisil are depicted through actors Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie, respectively. In 2016, Fox News paid out a $20 million settlement to Carlson and issued what Vanity Fair referred to as an “unprecedented apology” for decades of alleged sexual misconduct perpetrated by Ailes.
3. – She Said: Based on the book of the same title, the film chronicles two New York Times journalists – Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor – whose 2017 investigative report exposed the countless sexual assault allegations against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Following the article’s publication, at least 82 women came forward with personal allegations of sexual assault, abuse, and misconduct committed by Weinstein.
4. – The Last Duel: Released in 2021, the historical action film based on a 2004 book tells the story of a brutal rape committed by a squire in 14th century medieval France. The victim’s husband petitions King Charles VI for justice to be decided by a duel – trial by combat which would declare the combatant left alive the winner.
5. – Wind River: The 2017 film follows an investigation into the rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl on an American Indian reservation in Wyoming. Jeremy Renner plays the role of a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Agent who teams with Elizabeth Olsen, playing the role of an FBI agent.
6. – North Country: Based on Clara Bingham’s 2002 book, Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law, the film chronicles systemic sexual harassment occurring in a Northern Minnesota iron mine. The film’s main character is sexually assaulted by a co-worker and files a lawsuit which leads to a landmark change in workplace sexual misconduct policies.
7. – Sleepers: One of the first films to explore the subject of childhood sexual abuse impacting boys, Sleepers follows the story of four friends who are sent to a juvenile detention center after a prank gone awry seriously injures a man. Based on a book by the same name written by Lorenzo Carcaterra, the film takes place at the Wilkinson Home for Boys in Upstate New York where the guards repeatedly abuse and torture the inmates. Featuring Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Minnie Driver, Dustin Hoffman, and Jason Patric, Sleepers culminates in an attempt at revenge through the justice system that is inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexander Dumas.
8. – Promising Young Woman: Featuring Cary Mulligan in the starring role, the film tells the story of a woman seeking vengeance on men who sexually assault women under the influence at clubs and bars. After her classmate is raped and the perpetrator incurs no consequences by either the school or legal system, Mulligan’s character spends her evenings feigning drunkenness only to eventually reveal her sobriety just as men are about to take advantage of her in their homes.
9. – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Based on the 2005 novel by Stieg Larsson, the film follows a journalist investigating the 40-year-old disappearance of a girl from a wealthy family. The journalist, played by Daniel Craig, teams up with a hacker, played by Rooney Mara, who has just been brutally attacked and raped by her state-appointed guardian (and eventually takes vengeance in an extremely graphic way). The pair uncover countless instances of sexual abuse committed by wealthy men over the course of several decades.
10. – The Accused: Based on the true story of survivor Cheryl Araujo, a young woman who was brutally gang-raped in 1983 by four men at a bar in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the film stars Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis. Despite her pleas for help, Araujo was sexually assaulted for hours as several patrons stood by and watched. The rape case, which drew worldwide media attention in the early ’80s, was beset by what’s now considered to be unconscionable victim blaming. The trial was televised and led to four convictions of aggravated rape (with two acquittals), although the longest sentence any of the perpetrators served was six years.