A lot of Lifetime's TV movies get overly preachy when they take on social issues. Not this one. This is a superb human drama that expertly combines two story threads: the trauma that Debbie Smith faced from being raped and her involvement in the struggle to increases the resources available to local police departments to run DNA tests to identify rapists even when no suspect has actually been identified or taken into custody. This film brings us Debbie's trauma and how her rape hurts not only her but her family as well, turning her off to sex with her husband (the scene in which she freaks out in bed because he's inadvertently used an endearment that was also spoken to her by her rapist is especially chilling) and even being exploited by her children's schoolmates as an excuse to tease them. Stefan Pleszczynski directs in a calm, straightforward style that makes the material far more chilling than it would have been in the hands of an artier director; his only miscalculation (and the reason I'm not giving this film a perfect 10) is making the rape scene itself look too pleasant, going for soft-core porn titillation instead of the hard reality of violation. Still, that's a small blemish on an otherwise great production that shows off Lifetime at its best.
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mgconlan-126 April 2007
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lavatch6 January 2020In this somber film, Lea Thompson is excellent in the role of Debbie Smith, a victim of rape who became an advocate of intensive DNA screening that would instantly identify criminal rapists.
The primary narrative of the film is Deb's personal story and the toll that was taken on her life for years in knowing that her rapist was still at large. It turned out the perpetrator Jimmerson was sitting in jail, but could not be identified until the authorities were finally able to match the DNA with the perpetrator.
Deb then worked closely with Dr. Paul B. Ferrara, who pioneered the use of DNA profiling in America. Through the efforts of Dr. Ferrara, Virginia became the first state laboratory capable of performing DNA fingerprinting. The final quarter of the film shifts the focus to Washington, D.C., where, on Capitol Hill, the Debbie Smith Act was passed in both the House and the Senate in 2004.
While a reluctant activist, Deb made headlines when she asserted on camera that the foot-dragging by Congress was "disgraceful." In Virginia alone, 15,000 rape cases were on backlog, including Deb's case.
Nationally, one-half million cases were being delayed. Deb's testimony placed a human face on the crisis and finally led to Congressional action. Veteran lawmaker Carolyn Maloney was the principal Congresswoman portrayed in the film, who urged Deb to come to Washington. The names of Anthony Weiner and Hilary Clinton were also mentioned, among others. They wanted to get things streamlined!
More than the legislation that resulted from Deb's courageous commitment as an agent of social change, the film portrayed the human side of Deb's devotion to helping others. In her counseling of young Molly, another victim, Deb stressed that there is no set length of time for recovery.
For Deb, the recovery process must be "as long as it takes." This fact was recognized as well by Deb's saintly husband Rob, a cop who had slept through the entire experience when Deb was abducted from inside their home, then taken out into the forest for the assault.
With a fine acting ensemble, the film really belongs to Thompson in her sensitive portrayal of Deb Smith. Her story not only serves as a lesson in the forensic uses of DNA, but as the human side of "the most important anti-rape legislation in history." -
speechless1961-564-4884841 January 2014I just wanted to mention one thing. Someone said that this movie didn't deserve 10 stars for "making the rape scene itself look too pleasant, going for soft-core porn titillation instead of the hard reality of violation." I wholeheartedly disagree with this assessment. I like that it was "softer" (if you can call rape "soft"!) because it just goes to show that rape is not necessarily violent. Every movie I've ever seen with a rape scene has been extremely violent, and this one is very good at showing that it's very often NOT violent. I like it because sometimes, someone can struggle with rape, wondering if it really was rape or not. If it's sex against your will, it's rape. Period. As difficult as it is to watch a rape scene, this could actually help someone who is struggling with this very issue. Very well done.