Things Behind the Sun (2001)

Director:

Allison Anders

Writers (WGA):

Allison Anders (written by) &
Kurt Voss (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Raped of her innocence. Robbed of his manhood. In search of a second chance.

Plot:

A young music journalist's dark memories are awakened when he goes to interview a female rock singer, and both are forced to confront troubling secrets from their pasts.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Florida | Female Nudity | Alcoholics Anonymous | First Love

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Aria Alpert	...	Violet
Ruben Anders	...	Carlos
Rosanna Arquette	...	Pete
Mitchell Boshnack	...	Cape Canaveral Police Officer #1
Owen Butler	...	Young Owen
Caitlin Caldwell	...	Girl at House
Don Cheadle	...	Chuck
Bill Cordell	...	AA Secretary
Justin DePrume	...	Young Dan (as Justin De Prume)
Kim Dickens	...	Sherry
Hal Dion	...	Public Defender
Brittany Renee Finamore	...	Young Sherry (as Brittany Finamore)
Alison Folland	...	Lulu
Jessie Gelaznick	...	Magazine Intern / L.A. Club Band: Cowboys and Indians
Jade Gordon	...	Sam

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual violence, sexuality, language and substance abuse.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA

Company:

Echo Lake Productions (I)

Trivia:

The film is based on Allison Anders' personal experience when she was raped at the age of 12 and then brutally manhandled by a stepfather until she ran away from home at the age of 17. The rape scene in the film was actually filmed in exactly the same house where Anders was raped as a child.

Soundtrack:

Sister Rose

Questions Behind The Film

I had hoped this would be good but it took my breath away. It also brought tears to my eyes. I think this movie should be seen by everyone but especially by those involved in rape trials. Someone else on this board questioned whether a boy could be forced into a a rape as shown in the movie. We don't know the answer to that because men's magazines don't run articles about how men feel about rape and masculine conditioning and bonding. And our prison system doesn't cure rapists, it just teaches all the inmates how to rape or be raped. "Things Behind The Sun" is suggesting that we are way behind in examining the victimization of men by the behavior patterns they are taught to accept as "normal." And for those who think women and girls should simply not "get into situations" where rape can occur, the movie shows how difficult it is to avoid such situations-because how can we always know when someone will exploit the situation? I applaud this movie for taking risks and for raising questions about human behavior. And I also applaud the performances and the writing.