The Disappearance of Shere Hite

This is a terrific documentary on the life and work of the sexologist Shere Hite, whose survey on women's sexual practices, The Hite Report, became a huge bestseller in the 1970s and '80s. To detractors, she was a "man-hater," to fans she was a feminist icon.

The doc covers Hite's troubled childhood, her precarious existence on the fringes of New York's artistic community, her hard work planning and publishing the sex surveys, her sudden rise to fame, jousting with the media and male critics, and her eventual retreat from the limelight. The movie sets the context really well, and uses contemporary film footage, interviews with Hite, personal records and memorabilia, and the testimonies of colleagues and publishers to create a full picture of her ideas and impact. The editing of these different elements into a cohesive story is outstanding.

I've never thought much of Dakota Johnson as an actress, and her voicing of Hite's words throughout the movie are typically lifeless. However, I give her props for putting her money and influence behind the making of the film. She was a producer and it must have been hard to pitch. She can be proud of the result, a thoughtful, well edited look at the life and work of a controversial and fascinating woman.

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

"The Disappearance of Shere Hite" is a documentary about Shere Hite's and it discusses about her bestselling book The Hite Report that liberated female orgasm by revealing most private experiences of thousands of anonymous surveys. Her findings rocked American establishment and current conversations about gender, sexuality. Prior to seeing the film, I have read about Hite in several courses before but I wasn't fully aware about her popularity and importance. This documentary does a pretty good job and presenting Hite's work and the type of person she is.

Director Nicole Newnham understands how to approach this documentary with interesting discussions, good tone and appropriate structure without feeling overly soapy or inconsistent. The visual presentations and uses of archival footage were used well and the narration from actress Dakota Johnson provides good insight of Hite's writing and personality she was like.

Throughout, the many interviews from various members who knew Hite or study majors related to Hite were very interesting and helped to provide a lot of context. However, there were a few interviews that felt a bit out of place or could have been shorten as if it was going on a little too long. Also, the film does feel a little too long as some moments could have been deleted and the film would still be pretty good. Overall, it's an interesting documentary and I can see this documentary being used in Gender Studies or Sexuality courses.

Rating: B+

This riveting documentary is a must see for everyone that is a human sexual being. It chronicles the rise, fall, and banishment, of author and sex researcher Shere Hite, and delves into her writing "The Hite Report" study of female sexuality, and eventually male sexuality. We follow the author as she faced backlash from men, who were uncomfortable with the truths that she discovered, as well as religious zealots who opposed anything but the men-first orthodoxy. It shows us a woman embroiled in a culture.war unfortunately nor too different from what we see today. The voice of Shere Hite, who passed away in 2020, is narrated by Dakota Johnson who deftly brings the author's words to life again.

Excellent storytelling and great handling of a historically significant subject matter. Sound design, voice acting, lighting, graphics, narrative building, all aspects are designed marvelously and with much care.

Multiple aspects of Shere Hite's life and her persona have been captured beautifully and truthfully. The other side of being a public personality who is fighting an oppressive system can be heartbreaking. Props to the editing team for cutting it so tight and engaging. Gives the viewer much to ponder upon and, forces one to draw parallels to the current socio-political scenario. Hopefully the movie proves to be "The Reappearance of Shere Hite", bringing her enormous contributions to light and, her books into print again. Needed now more than ever.

When the "The Hite Report" was published, my earth shook. And my outlook on life entirely flipped. For the first time, I was able to open myself to love and experience all the wonderful things which accompany that. I often wondered what happened to Shere Hite and am thankful to now know the answers. I want to thank the documentarians who made this film. It allowed me to remember the beauty of Hite's soul. Though she approached women and their sexuality with scientific precision, she revealed to women how to be happy and yes ... even playful with our partners. And she reminded us that we have every right to expect comfort, excitement and gratification in the bedroom. Hite is, and will always be, my hero.