Content note: this article contains descriptions and images of sexual assault.

In 2018, Rae de Leon uncovered a disturbing pattern while working as a reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting in California: police were arresting young women for filing false sexual assault reports – even though de Leon’s own solo investigation found that they were telling the truth.

“The detective told me, ‘He didn’t hold you down, so that’s not rape,’” one woman can be heard telling de Leon of her experience.

“I was raped, and they told me I lied about it,” another says starkly.

Another tearfully asks: “How can you tell me that I’m lying to you when there are no cameras?”

Watch the trailer for Victim/Suspect below:

Directed by Nancy Schwartzman, the documentary follows de Leon on her four-year quest for the truth, as she tirelessly collects first-hand testimonies from numerous young women.

Their accounts are undeniably distressing, but they are made even more so when de Leon holds them up against a wealth of evidence from the initial police investigations, including disturbing recordings of police using interrogation tactics to question and dismantle the women’s lived experiences.

“You’re not being honest with me, OK,” an officer can be heard telling one sexual assault victim, his tone almost brutally dismissive. 

“And I think you’re one of those people that’s taking away from my true victims.”

Eventually, she – like so many others – is bullied and berated into withdrawing her claim and is eventually charged with falsifying police reports.

Over the course of the film, Victim/Suspect unveils how policing across the US enables law enforcement to turn survivors of sexual assault into accused criminals. It also, albeit to a lesser extent, examines the ways in which the media is to blame for tarnishing these women’s reputations once the police have made them suspects.

“I think there’s this misconception that only law enforcement can investigate the truth, and that’s actually just not true. There’s been a lot of people working outside of the system who do investigative work,” Schwartzman explains to Tudum, Netflix’s companion site. “And there’s this idea that victims and survivors need to report – that it’s their ‘duty’ to report. 

“That puts a huge burden on the victim. And as you can see in our film, it can go terribly, terribly wrong.”

The film is not just about systemic injustice, though: it also serves as a way for Nikki Yovino, Emma Mannion and the other women featured to finally reclaim control of their narratives. To tell their stories, at long last, in their own words.

As Schwartzman puts it: “All we can offer anyone is the opportunity to speak their truth, and we have to ask them to trust us. That’s absolutely up to them. 

“Getting to share their story and hear people’s outrage and support on their behalf will, hopefully, feel really good.”

Victim/Suspect premieres on Netflix on 23 May.   

If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault and you need help or support, visit the Rape Crisis UK website or call 0808 802 9999 (usual opening times are noon – 2.30pm and 7 – 9.30pm on any day of the year and also between 3 – 5.30pm on weekdays).

Images: Netflix