Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are no strangers to sexual assault awareness. Their previous film “The Invisible War” dealt with sexual assault in the military, and garnered attention and policy changes within the U.S. military. Their latest film “The Hunting Ground” is just as powerful, and perhaps even more relevant, as it dives deep into sexual assaults happening on college campuses across the country.
The film opens on a jarring note: girls getting their acceptance letters to their top colleges, all captured home movie style to the tune of “Pomp And Circumstance.” This is merely a set-up for the horrible world we’re about to be thrown into, where fraternities and college athletes can get away with something as horrible as rape, while a majority of people turn a blind eye.
Dick and Ziering’s film focuses primarily on the story of Annie Clark and Andrea Pino, two survivors and former students of the University of North Carolina. Their cases were both ignored by the university, which seemingly blamed them for the crime, as if it was their fault. They then begin advocating for rape victims, even going so far as to file a Title IX case against UNC.
From here, the filmmakers offer a plethora of other cases from various universities, meant to inform and make us feel – and it works. As an activist documentary, it succeeds in eliminating the idea of victim blaming in favor of supporting the victims of rape, and opening up discussions to end such heinous crimes on campus. “The University of Virginia: 0 Expulsions For Sexual Assault, 183 Expulsions For Cheating And Other Honor Board Violations” reads one statistic flashed across the screen. If a petty misdemeanor can get a student expelled, but something far greater and terrible results in a lack of punishment, then something is clearly wrong with the education system, and “The Hunting Ground” aims to fix that.
The film addresses the problem with fraternities and college sports as a gateway to sexual assault. One former student attests that his frat held competitions to see how many women they could have sex with, giving incentive to attempt and succeed in rape. The filmmakers note Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s acronym has now become something of a national warning, which for some horribly stands for “Sexual Assault Expected.”
In perhaps the most upsetting story in terms of subject matter, former FSU student Erica Kinsman shares her story for the first time, during which she claims Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston drugged and assaulted her. As the quarterback for FSU and a top pick for the NFL draft, he was cleared because the school would lose a championship and credibility in the realm of national football. The filmmakers stress that colleges have become more concerned with their reputation than actually helping those they are supposed to keep safe, made evident by the lack of comments from many of the heads of universities.
While the film occasionally feels a tad ham-handed, due entirely to an often-intrusive score, it more than succeeds in its emotional power, factual backing and repeated call to action. This is an important film, an exceptionally crafted one; while not easy to sit through, it will hopefully begin to establish a conversation with our population on an issue that has been ignored for too long. In the closing minutes of the documentary, Pino and Clark’s Title IX charge is reviewed by the U.S. Board Of Education. We have witnessed their incredible bravery, along with the bravery of many others, and their heroics show that the time for change is now and success might be closer than we think.