I have an odd affinity for cheesy '90s TV films (especially Lifetime style ones), I find them more entertaining than many of the TV films made today. I watched this one on Tubi since it caught my eye on every other free movie streaming service. I have mixed feelings about this movie for all the right reasons.
The good thing is that it brings awareness to unfortunately common issues: abuse of power and s*xual misconduct towards minors. It shows that bad authority figures "work their way" up to gain the trust of their victims as well as exploit the misguided feelings the victim may have for them.
The very bad thing (something that unfortunately is true for the real world) is how essentially everyone turned on the victim except for her parents. This young lady's own friends betrayed her after she confided in them about what the coach/teacher did to her. The girl was harassed and shamed by an entire community, and this community treated the teacher as if he's the helpless victim! It also illustrates how in these small towns, the people worship athletics and will turn a blind eye if a beloved athlete or coach turns out to be a horribly immoral individual. Absolutely no one stopped to think that the girl was telling the truth and that the coach/teacher's a predator. The literal child was paying for the sins of an adult. Awful!
The pervasive treatment of the girl upset me so much that after the movie ended, I said, "I'm not watching this movie again." There are many movies surrounding serious and upsetting topics that I gladly rewatch, this is not one of them. "Our Guys" was similar in nature in which a whole community was nasty towards an SA victim and quick to defend the perpetrator just because they're "such an awesome person." I'm unlikely to watch that film again either, especially since in that one, the victim was developmentally disabled. Both of these films are based on true stories.
So if you want to watch this movie, just be aware that it's quite angering. I can't name any alternatives to this one at the moment, as others of the same topic are just as distressing.
The good thing is that it brings awareness to unfortunately common issues: abuse of power and s*xual misconduct towards minors. It shows that bad authority figures "work their way" up to gain the trust of their victims as well as exploit the misguided feelings the victim may have for them.
The very bad thing (something that unfortunately is true for the real world) is how essentially everyone turned on the victim except for her parents. This young lady's own friends betrayed her after she confided in them about what the coach/teacher did to her. The girl was harassed and shamed by an entire community, and this community treated the teacher as if he's the helpless victim! It also illustrates how in these small towns, the people worship athletics and will turn a blind eye if a beloved athlete or coach turns out to be a horribly immoral individual. Absolutely no one stopped to think that the girl was telling the truth and that the coach/teacher's a predator. The literal child was paying for the sins of an adult. Awful!
The pervasive treatment of the girl upset me so much that after the movie ended, I said, "I'm not watching this movie again." There are many movies surrounding serious and upsetting topics that I gladly rewatch, this is not one of them. "Our Guys" was similar in nature in which a whole community was nasty towards an SA victim and quick to defend the perpetrator just because they're "such an awesome person." I'm unlikely to watch that film again either, especially since in that one, the victim was developmentally disabled. Both of these films are based on true stories.
So if you want to watch this movie, just be aware that it's quite angering. I can't name any alternatives to this one at the moment, as others of the same topic are just as distressing.