Danielle Jenkins

I clicked on this title because of the actresses. I had no idea what it was about and just assumed it was going to be a light hearted feel good movie. It actually tackles a very taboo subject head on: molestation/sexual assault. Even though there are plenty of cringe worthy moments, the story is told from a very interesting and valid perspective. I liked that the Rachel character, although clearly traumatized, didn't move about life as a victim, nor did she cower in the presence of her attacker. I appreciated how they showed the dysfunctional family dynamic. I think most scripts would redeem the familial characters by making them almost perfect in their response to hearing Rachel's story. I think the choice to have their response be sort of a "slow burn" was more realistic, even if it was hard to watch. Overall, I think it was a very realistic take on grooming, assault, gaslighting, and the male/female dynamic that exists in this world. I also liked that the Simon character admitted to being turned on by Rachel's repeated advances but refused to respond to them. He was the hero in the film who made a responsible decision even though it was difficult. My heart goes out to the Rachel's of this world. Seeing her reduce herself to a sexual object because of her experience with her stepfather was difficult to watch. Seeing her lie to protect someone who was too weak to protect her was difficult to watch. I was glad when her grandmother addressed things head on and vowed to make her step father pay for his actions. The step dad's "hush" payment (with the car) and admission towards the end nearly made me vomit! I'm not surprised that the movie doesn't have better reviews. A lot of people probably identify with the characters in this movie in more ways than they would like and that's probably a hard pill to swallow.