Vergewaltigt: Eine Stadt unter Anklage

This is a remake of the Australian film of the same name. Having never seen the original, I cannot compare the two. I honestly don't think I could sit through this story again. It's not a bad film...it's just that it's so anger-provoking, and just plain depressing, I could barely get through this version. The good points: beautiful cinematography; fine performances by the two female stars, Amanda Donohoe and Fairuza Balk; a storyline that keeps one interested in the outcome; and an almost allegorical approach to the Stranger who rides into town to save it from the Bad Guys - with a twist - this Hero/Stranger is a female (and she's just as tough on her motorcycle as Clint Eastwood ever was on a horse).

The bad points: A depressing, mind-numbing soundtrack; dialogue that is unbelievable at times; and villains who are so incredibly mean, vile, hateful and ignorant, that you pray the earth will open up and swallow them whole. The most disturbing aspect of this film is the way it made me want to hit something or someone the entire time I watched it....all the characters are wound up tight, and this is a very violence-provoking story. The story consists of two 15 year old girls who are brutally gang-raped. No one gives a damn...not even their families. Instead, they are held up for ridicule and humiliation. The ending of this film was very unsatisfying, also. It made me want to go out and get a drink....a very strong drink. Maybe two.

This movie was so gripping i kept switching the channel, alternating between 'shame' and 'the deadly silence'. Enough said really.

The thing that surprised me most was how innocent Fairuza Balk looked...i am of course comparing her to what she was in 'the craft'. she actually looked quite pretty in this movie, though she does have rather a large mouth!

All in all definitely shameful. Don't bother unless you're a hardcore fan of hers.

Why does this comment have to be 10 lines? I really don't have much to say about this !

Maybe for watching this movie. I was subjected to the torture inadvertantly. I was upstairs trying to be studious and learn French, but I kept hearing this ANNOYING SCREAMING coming from the floor below. It was "Shame." Nobody was watching it at top volume, that's just the "Shame" is: A cheesy movie of the week with a stereotypical for a movie of the week plot of a raped girl coming forward against those who violated her. Fairuze Balk plays the girl, and FOR SOME REASON SHE MUST THINK THAT SCREAMING HER SO-CALLED DRAMATIC LINES AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS IS NECESSARY FOR GOOD ACTING, when in reality it's NOT!!!! It's simply ANNOYING for people who had no intention of even WATCHING "SHAME" in the FIRST place!!!

Because she BELLOWED all of her lines, I found it IMPOSSIBLE to like Balk as "Lizzie" the raped girl who tries to be all bold and brave and punish her rapists with the help of lawyer Amanda Donahoe, who does not live in that town, but for some reason inserts herself into the mess anyway? (Was Donahoe's character even from the same state, i.e. would she even be licensed to practice law there? I don't really know, since I was not called to "Shame" until Ms. Balk SUMMONED me by her OBNOXIOUS screeching, and she probably didn't appear right away.) The local hicks don't seem too keen on Donahoe and Lizzie's actions, since they want to put it all behind (does that mean they knew and didn't do anything about it? Uh, nice police force. Nice legal system, there.) The mother of some rapist(who casually roams the street) even tries to buy Lizzie off by sending her away on vacation, until Lizzie yells that she won't have any of that. That's a shame, too, since I was hoping she'd accept and leave, taking her obnoxious screaming with her.

Instead Lizzie and Lizzie's lawyer stay, and the tension mounts and mounts... until... I can't say, because I'm sure it is supposed to be very, very, shocking but involves people um, trying to silence Lizzie forever.

While I'm not saying I approved of the characters motives, I can't say I blamed them, there. Maybe they decided their hearing was more valuable than whiny, annoying, SCREECHY Lizzie.