Documentary Review: Tabloid

Errol Morris is the master of the quirky documentary. So much love. Just watched Tabloid–it’s about a woman who stalked, kidnapped and raped a male Mormon missionary. It’s also about those same two people having an epic love story the likes of Romeo and Juliet and Brother Sun, Sister Moon. It just depends on who you ask. See, Morris approached this subject brilliantly as point-counterpoint; he let the subject, Joyce McKinney, tell her version of a section of the story, then let other players, the press, the law, tell that part as they experienced it. Fascinating. For, if you listened to McKinney alone, you might almost believe her version.

I said almost.

So she tells her version, everyone else tells their version, she’s tried in British court–

and then things get weird.

For the record: McKinney is asked by Morris if a man can be raped by a woman, and she makes a rather offensive comment, in my opinion, in her negative answer. Let me say that rape is not about successful erection, which can actually be induced through fear. Men absolutely can be raped by women, and that rape absolutely does not not have to involve vaginal intercourse to be rape.

if you need to speak to someone, RAINN now has a secure and anonymous online survivors chat: rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-online-hotline

Update: Letterboxd link to review

The post Documentary Review: Tabloid first appeared on There Might Be Cupcakes Podcast.