Victim/Suspect

A document of superb journalism but is unfortunately told in a sludgy, distracting fashion.

The film, which examines cases in which sexual assault survivors are charged with false reporting, is the rare entry whose revelations feel cogent, earned and memorable.

A film about a police culture that doesn’t seem to take rape charges seriously—or, at the very least, doesn’t think that thoroughly examining accusations is worth the hassle when intimidation and humiliation will facilitate their jobs.

This documentary doesn’t offer much in terms of craft, but one could perhaps make the argument that the subject matter necessitates no-frills storytelling that soberly focuses on facts and video evidence.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with sadness and empathy for the victims. Easy to feel proud that a young reporter and documentarian turned wrong into right. That takes courage.

[Victim/Suspect] suffers from the Netflix brand of overproduction, looking just a little too flashy and sinking everything with voiceover and interview sound bites that have been scripted to death.

An angry piece of cinematic advocacy that doubles as a passionate ode to old-fashioned journalism, the new Netflix documentary Victim/Suspect takes a handful of harrowing real-life stories and slaps them with the streaming ‘filter’.

To call Victim/Suspect hard-hitting and infuriating is a massive understatement. This documentary will leave you angry beyond words, but you should watch it nonetheless.



Watch, learn, take action. Reform won’t happen unless we demand it.

The information is harrowing and disgusting, but it’s also inspiring to see how one journalist’s dogged investigation shed light on a troubling pattern in law enforcement leading to actionable changes for the better.