Anthony McLean

At first, I had no interest in this film because I had no idea about the storyline and thought it was just some medieval King Arthur story about knights in shining armor. I was wrong and it is quite a compelling movie on so many levels: The idea of having to prove you're not guilty and of a woman not being believed about being raped and being the property of a man is quite powerful. The feeling that she allowed a rape to happen or actually enjoyed and even lured the man into having consensual sex and then lying still happens today. It touches on how others before her just saw it as part of life and carried on. It's a MeToo situation seven hundred years ago with one woman having the courage not to be silenced even if it meant losing her life. It speaks on things from the medieval past that we consider to be ridiculous today like a woman needing to orgasm in order to conceive. It shows how being guilty (or innocent) in the court of public opinion and the connections, status and even the good looks one has, can sway people. Same as it is nowadays. It's also relatable to black people and others who have ancestors who were slaves and treated like property. It's about God vs. the devil, the truth vs. a lie and good vs. evil. In the end, I think the woman was telling the truth so good definitely won. Excellent movie but I would still like to read the true account to see how faithful the movie is to the original story.