217. The Rape Of Recy Taylor; movie review

THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR
Cert 15
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains descriptions of sexual violence

America's civil rights violations have been so ghastly for so long, it should be expected that the country would try to cleanse itself.
Sadly, under Donald Trump, this seems less and less likely.
From the outside, it seems to us that Trump is a throw-back to the time when looking after whites was the priority and the blacks were scarcely an afterthought - unless they spoke up against the establishment
The Rape Of Recy Taylor by a group of white teenagers is staggering not only in itself but also because it happened within the lifetime of people who are still alive.
Its savagery and the fact that the assailants were not convicted are deeply disturbing.
The assault on Recy Taylor happened in 1944 but there are clear parallels to the United States of now and the belief that crime against black people is not seen as equal to that against whites.
This may be derived from the fact that, even post-slavery, blacks were seen as sub-human.
Nancy Buirski's film presents interviews from those who were alive at the time who deliver clear and damning testimony despite their age and the many years since the case.
It also charts what happened to the gang who attacked Recy Taylor.
The most startling element of the film is that the main thrust of the evidence is incontrovertible. Recy Taylor, a regular church-goer, was raped by a gang.
However, neither the lawmen nor the white-only legal community had the appetite to see justice done and, even if they had, the all-white juries probably would not.
The Taylor case became part of the civil rights narrative and she was befriended by a key activist, Rosa Parks, who led the bus protests in Montgomery.
This contextualisation creates a clear picture of Alabama and America's south being a hive of racism and awfulness.
It couldn't help prompt me to believe that some of the beliefs of white supremacy were so ingrained, they must exist today.
Indeed, recent news events appear to support that notion.
Remarkably, when the film was made a couple of years ago, Recy Taylor was still alive, having past her 100th birthday.
She forgave but didn't forget. I am not sure I could have done, if this had happened to a family member of mine.


Reasons to watch: Historically important
Reasons to avoid: Some of the evidence is hard to take

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Director's statement - Nancy Buirski: "I don’t live in a black woman’s skin. But I believe these stories should be told again and again, and that there may be value in my difference. Race is The American Story; as a white person I inherit complicity in what happened to African-Americans in our country. 

The big question - How could people be so awful to each other?

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