The Hunting Ground (2015) - Kirby Dick

Kirby Dick's latest documentary, The Hunting Ground, is a downright infuriating expose of the sexual assault and rape crimes committed across U.S Universities far and wide.  The Hunting Ground exposes how these instiutions turn a blind eye, only concerned with protetcting their brand.  From the University of North Carolina to Harvard, the film exposes the victim blaming and  cover-ups that occur at these prestiges universities, a tragic case of money trumping morality.  This film profoundly captures the deep emotional devastation such a crime as rape or any form of sexual assault has on the victim, making this a film that can be hard to stomach at times.  This is a film that is intimate but massive, and while Kirby DIck exposes universities looking the other way for the sake of their brand, the film begins to show the bigger problem in our society as a whole, with college campus' being the perfect breeding ground.  The most interesting aspect of the film is how it is a constant reminder of the darker side of capitalism, with a scholl being a business that makes millions off of tuition, college athletics, fraternites, alumni, etc.  With the inherent subject matter of The Hunting Ground being so soul crushing it did seem strange to me how manipulative this film was at times, with Kirby Dick using  forced and unncessary imagery.  I have always found that Dick's films talk down to the viewer, as if Dick believes he is an intellecutal godsend, but this film is certainly one of the better ones from that perspective..  A tough film to stomach, Kirby Dick's The Hunting Ground is  an infuriating and devastating film that makes  a strong case that sexual assault is an outright epidemic.

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