Sunday Matinee: Rocking the Couch [Film]

“Hollywood titans, Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, have been brought to their knees by the #MeToo movement. But they did not invent Casting Couch. The term casting couch has existed for decades. But in 1992, a case against talent agent, Wallace Kaye, was brought to court by 12 unknown actresses, who braved the loss of their careers, their privacy, and their Hollywood dreams. They stepped forward, despite the advice of their union, and brought the case to the police. Against all odds, they won, and no one listened.” – October Coast PR

In short: this movie made me fucking sick. Not because of the actual filmmaking, obviously. This is a perfectly fine documentary about a perfectly horrific subject matter. So, I guess it truly did its job in being disgusting. And what would disgust me the most? The fact that this shit is NEVER talked about! 27 years ago, there could have been a standard set to prevent shitty people from doing shitty things. But, much like every male-dominated industry out there, we just let it go. And while I should say that I am grateful that with the eyes of the world shifting to a digital space, and movements like #metoo and #timesup are making strides in changing the atmosphere…I find it very hard to be entirely optimistic. Will the idea of change simply fade into obscurity once again? Will the popularity of change become just a footnote of history when discussing our current decade to future generations? Will we forget about the whole situation until the day that Bill Cosby finally dies alone in prison like he deserves?

Again, I want to believe in the possibility of change, but I’m not holding my breath. But again, that is one reason I am grateful for a doc like Rocking The Couch. This is the conversation that needs to be had. More people need to realize that sexual assault and harassment in the world of entertainment is definitely not a new concept. Think about the fact that the events surrounding this documentary happened almost 30 years ago, and who the fuck knows how long before then. Well, actually, the filmmakers do. They kind of get into just that.

This doc also features the first time one of our dear friends popped up on screen, and I was simply fucking mortified! When our dear friend Sadie Katz appeared on screen, I simply wanted to scream. Not that I wasn’t moved (and again, disgusted by) the testimonials of the other brave women in the film, but Sadie is a very special person to the TWS world, and it really hurt. But, I am very proud of her for being her usual badass self and telling her story in Rocking the Couch. In fact, every single woman who appears in this film to tell their tale are commendable, and deserve the highest of praise.

Rocking the Couch is available now on Amazon U.S. and UK.