=G= Review of Things Behind the Sun

Things Behind the Sun (2001)

An okay film about a rape victim coming to terms with her past.

[6/10 · 19 August 2001]

"Things..." tells of a thirty-something club singer and alcoholic who still suffers the trauma of a rape at age 14 and the attempt of an unwilling participant in the rape (sound unlikely?) to seek a belated resolution to his misdeed. The film doggedly pours over the suffering of the victim, her trauma and its manifestations, while building a weak story with little to offer save some insights into the matter of stranger rape victim issues. A nominal drama and tour de force by Dickens, this flick suffers from some questionable behavior and an all too obvious agenda owing to the passion of the director, a rape victim herself. "Things..." makes one maxim clear: Film makers wanting to make a statement about their personal issues should make documentaries.