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Consent (2007)
Work colleagues Becky (Anna Madeley) and Steve (Daniel Mays) are typical twenty-somethings - ambitious, attractive and both climbing the career ladder in a small but friendly IT company. One night, they are invited to a client party at an up-market hotel. Their host has arranged free flowing vodka, champagne and accommodation for the night. The colleagues let their hair down and enjoy a high-spirited bash. Towards the end of the evening, the heel of Becky's shoe breaks and she heads up to her hotel room. Steve follows her and they soon begin to kiss. But what happens next? She prosecutes for rape; he says it was consensual.
At this point the film shifts from a scripted drama into something very different. Everyone involved knows that this is a fictional case but the trial is conducted as if it were real. Featuring a jury of ordinary people (selected at random through the electoral register), real barristers, solicitors, police and a judge - the film shines a light on one of today's most hotly debated issues.
Motivated to make the film by the fact that only 5-10% cases of rape cases that go to court end in a conviction, "Consent" explores the interwoven stories of the accuser and accused, and the responses of those involved in the legal process.
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