One night after having an altercation with her boyfriend, Sarah Tobias (a young waitress) is pitilessly molested by three men in a pub while patrons watch and make merry of the whole fiasco. A mild sentence is imposed on the perpetrators in spite the assistant D.A. Kathryn Murphy handling the case. It compels Sarah Tobias to take the stand in a protracted muddle on the way to seek justice and put the culpable patrons behind bars. The road to justice is never level as is portrayed in this drama-action packed movie.
Self-presentation as a social psychology topic is illustrated in the movie. Sarah Tobias is subjected to rape due to the dogma that drunk and skimpily dressed women are reduced to give sexual advances willingly without a word. The group of intoxicated fellows who were perched on the furniture and cheering while Sarah is assaulted illustrate their affinity for prosocial behavior. Consequently, this behavior encourages the other two perpetrators to commit the atrocity which leads conformity towards the drunkards' cajoling chants to assault Sarah Tobias ("ACCUSED-01(2)"). Another topic vividly illustrated in the movie is aggression, especially against the weaker sex, in this case, the puny Sarah Tobias by undoubtedly powerful men supported by inebriated patrons.
At first, Murphy is not happy about the past dealings of Sarah being seen as having a questionable character tainted by a drug-dealing boyfriend, an alcoholic life and or a volatile unintelligent temperament. Murphy undergoes a total attitude change after reexamining the whole situation as she comes to identify that some of Sarah Tobias' emotions are actual experiences not necessarily legal evidence. Murphy sets out to bring some of the bystanders at the rape ordeal to trial with minimal or no support from her superiors or colleagues. She eventually manages to get the perpetrators behind bars without parole. This attitude change is symbolic in that if a young woman who acts improperly or recklessly still has the right to say no.
Works Cited
"ACCUSED-01(2)." YouTube, 13 Mar. 2013, youtu.be/qrBeQnqZXu0?list=PLspgw4sRqo8_jR_kel2g0a8MnRkMCJNJ0. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.
