The Accused

Jonathan Kaplan's The Accused is based on the true story of Cheryl Araujo, a woman who was gang-raped at a bar in Massachusetts in 1983 while other patrons watched and cheered.

The film chronicles the rape and the court case that followed.

Fast Facts

1. Released October 14,1988
2. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan
3. Written by: Tom Topor
4. Starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis
5. Cinematography by: Ralf D. Bode
6. Editing by: O. Nicholas Brown, Gerald B. Greenberg
7. Running Time: 111 minutes
8. Kelly McGillis is a real-life rape survivor
9. Jodie Foster won Best Actress at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards

Rape in Film

The Accused dealt with the subject of rape in a more direct way than most previous films. In the original case, many newspaper reports indicated that some blame during the trial was placed on Araujo herself, and this trend of "blaming the victim" is addressed in the film.

Critical Reception

The Accused was praised by critics upon its release. It maintains a 95% positivity rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Jodie Foster won her first Oscar for her performance.

Categories