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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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