Torture Porn Films

You can read my piece on Torture Porn Films online at Overland. Here's how it starts:

During a notorious incident at the Sundance Film Festival, a viewer leaped to his feet after the premiere of Lucky McKee’s movie The Woman and began to protest: ‘This movie degrades women! This movie degrades men! You are sick! This is not art! You are sick! This is a disgusting movie! Sundance should be ashamed! How dare you show this!’

As security approached, he continued: ‘Anyone else who’d like to talk in a similar mind about the degradation of women like this come outside and we’ll talk …’

A woman yelled in response: ‘Are you a woman?’

Footage on YouTube shows the man arguing his point as he is led from the building. ‘This is not art; this is bullshit! This is degradation of women, in an absolute way.’ The hurt look in his eyes is striking: they rove around as if he is searching for something, trying to make sense of events.

Becoming more strident, he says, ‘This film ought to be confiscated, burned.’

Then he calms a little. ‘I couldn’t take it,’ he reflects. Then he turns on the audience: ‘They cheered, for women being beaten up, abused, raped, boys being taught to rape. They’re cheering for that!’