Belly of the Beast is a stunning achievement in the documentary space, and an incredibly powerful story about the resilience of the human spirit. This artistic and emotional project revealed human rights abuses towards women in California prisons, and it clearly and journalistically shows what can happen right under our noses in a very successful state. I grew up in California and I was stunned, and horrified, to hear these stories about forced sterilization. This film was thought-provoking, it was horrifying to discover what these women experienced, and it was deeply inspiring to see the survivors challenge the system. The good news is, these women fought the system and won. This documentary and the women featured in it exposed the issues, and the state of California was held accountable, and recently paid reparations. I can't recommend this film enough. It's a true story of women overcoming incredible obstacles, and speaking out to those in power.
