The all-too-true story they said was Unbelievable
The depressing reality of rape and sexual misconduct against women has raised the ire of many South Africans. Outrage has increased with stories of insensitivity towards rape victims and their ill-treatment by the police. Unbelievable, Netflix’s eight-part crime procedural, provides a timely examination of sexual violence in the US, focussing on the way victims are treated by law enforcement.
Developed by showrunner Susannah Grant and director Lisa Cholodenko, it’s based on a true story. In 2008, Marie Adler, an 18-year-old who’d spent most of her childhood in foster care, reported to the Lynwood, Washington, police that she’d been raped. According to Adler, a masked man had broken into her bedroom while she slept, woken her at knife point and raped her before taking pictures of her. He told her that he would make them public if she told anyone.
Adler was questioned by members of the police department and prodded by medical examiners for several days before, in response to repeated questions about minute inconsistencies in her statement, she told the police she’d lied about the incident. Her “crying wolf” made local news broadcasts and headlines and Adler was charged with making a false report.
She accepted a plea deal and was fined $500. However, three years later a pair of detectives in Colorado investigated a series of similar rapes in that state and things started looking bad for the police who’d handled Adler’s case.
The first episode of the show relates the events that led to Adler’s disgrace. It is difficult to watch thanks to a superbly nuanced and sensitive performance from Kaitlyn Dever. In fact there is a commendable approach to the depiction of sexual violence throughout the series, showing that the violence and terror of sexual assault can be conveyed without salacious detail. As the second episode commences, Adler’s story continues but becomes part of the double plot involving the rapes in Colorado three years later and the pair of formidable female detectives who pursue the investigation.
Merritt Wever plays Detective Karen Duvall — a God-fearing mother married to a fellow cop whose dedication to her family is matched by her prickly professional commitment to seeking justice. When one of her cases dovetails with that of another Colorado detective, Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette), the two make an uncomfortable, but ultimately effective team.
The focus of the show is the grave effects the rapist’s actions have on his victims and the obstacles placed in the way of the heroes by an often misogynist law enforcement system that must eventually recognise its own culpability and failures.
Unbelievable is depressing and sickening not because of any violent or titillating approach but because of the horrible believability of the attitudes it highlights. Anchored by a trio of superb performances, it’s also one of the year’s most watchable and thought-provoking dramas.
Unbelievable is available on Netflix