Without Her Consent

Okay, now I'm not much for TV movie dramas, but this one was pretty good. The highlight of the film, without a doubt, is Melissa Gilbert. She is a truely great, underrated actress, and her performance in this film is (I think) one of her best. Never has any actor in a TV movie made me feel so much sympathy for their character. There's equally-good support from co-stars Crystal Bernard, Scott Valentine, and Barry Tubb, but Gilbert is the standout in this fact-based telefilm.

I remembered this movie having watched it many years ago. My second viewing, some 18 years later, was almost as good. We have to bear in mind that the movie might look a little dated by today's standards. This is the story of small-town Emily Briggs and how she moves to California and gullibly exposes herself to danger from the smooth-talking, basketball-playing guy across the street (i.e. Jason Barnes played by Scott Valentine). He's not a very convincing rapist even though the scene was 'tastefully' done by today's standards. Most of the movie deals with how Briggs has to struggle to get others to believe her and even more so getting Barnes into court. At around 90 minutes, the movie is easy to watch and has some good lessons, especially for trusting young women.