When the original press release for the controversial documentary on misogyny, titled, “The Rise of Eve†made it into the mainstream a few years ago, director L. Burner expressed one major concern. She feared that the same misogyny and oppression that necessitated such a film would serve to hinder its message and progress. “The Rise of Eve,†which examines gender-based abuse such as domestic violence, rape culture, derogatory lyrics, honor killings, and more through personal accounts and debates, garnered a successful theatrical release complete with an NYC red carpet premiere in 2018. Still, it was a bittersweet experience. The major publication, Hollywood Reporter was set to run a story along with the premiere but inexplicably pulled the piece in the 11th hour. The impact of being denied that opportunity meant the difference between national exposure with undeniable credibility and traversing that daunting independent circuit. Filmmaker, L. Burner couldn’t help but wonder if it was the controversial subject matter in tandem with the fact that she was a Black female that affected the decision. Indeed, it was a female journalist that reached out with enthusiasm, fully intent on running the story…and shortly after, an unidentified “boss” that killed the story. It was a bitter pill to swallow but there was no time to sulk, as the general reception for the film was very good. “The Rise of Eve†even held steady with 9 out of 10 stars on IMDb for almost a year. After its theatrical run, it landed a coveted spot on Amazon Prime. This platform promised great exposure and one of the better royalty rates in the streaming market. “The Rise of Eve†hit the ground running! Once again, the reviews were excellent and it earned 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Needless to say, there were a handful of bad reviews out there. That’s par for the course. The only problem was that all of them seemed to come from males who evidently resented the content which they likely felt indicted them or cast a wide net over the entire male gender. Nonetheless, it was hard to take the reviews seriously because those posts came across more like saboteurs, trolls speaking from a place of prejudice or bias as opposed to sharing eloquent and cogent feedback. In a shocking turn of events, “The Rise of Eve†was abruptly pulled from the streaming platform Amazon Prime for “violating community standards.†How could a handful of critics supersede all the positive reviews and ratings? This “violation†seemed odd in light of the fact that there is a stringent submission process in the first place and there are many fictitious films and shows that depict all manners of violence, including misogyny on Amazon Prime. Was it White Privilege? Male Privilege, oppressing the agenda to bring light to the issues?
“The Rise of Eve†has an obvious goal in mind to promote humanity and equality among women. Some may presume that to be mutually exclusive to depicting men fairly, yet in actuality, the film is incredibly objective and balanced. Most of the interview subjects happen to be male so all the standard counterpoints that any man would typically have are represented in “The Rise of Eve.†In fact, some of the men are so bold and righteous that they seem to condone exploitation and even violence regarding women in certain cases. This may seem counterproductive and even disturbing but it was a carefully calculated decision by Burner to represent all mentalities and put them on the table for a holistic approach to analysis and problem-solving. But if someone gets offended ten minutes in (as one critic did) and turns the documentary off under the “male-bashing”  assumption, they will never know how the message comes together. Likewise, there are lots of ironies and surprises in ROE. Women speak up on behalf of men at different points and vice versa. And there are several narratives in the doc that discuss to what degree a woman has to be accountable for her share…with her attire, for instance, if she is complaining of catcalling. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, at the very least, the viewer does not have to endure one-sided rhetoric that leaves out obvious rebuttals.
“The Rise of Eve†is groundbreaking in its transparency and insight, capturing an impressive range of topics. At times it is quite triggering. During the premiere, many viewers had to step out of the theater to regroup due to the graphic and triggering nature of the film. It’s important to note that although it was released in 2018, “The Rise of Eve†preceded Surviving R. Kelly and the entire #metoo movement in fact, with production wrapping in 2016. At that time, the nature of the film went against the grain to such a degree that industry professionals and film fest circuits would not support it and warned L. Burner to tone it down. She did not and will not be silenced! Instead, she waited for that one yes for the theatrical run and eventually found a streaming home for the doc on The Revry Channel/App which did not hinder her creativity or compromise her message. Ms. Burner says, “Rape, harassment, gender-based violence, and derogatory lyrics are all part of an ugly reality that women face around the world, all day, every day. You can endure it on film for two hours! To mince words and ‘tone down’ the truth defeats the purpose of making a documentary like “The Rise of Eve.†That’s not honest or effective. Many people don’t know the extent to which women are damaged by these behaviors. Hearing courageous, detailed, first-hand, accounts of the cause and effect facilities a better understanding between the sexes. This promotes empathy and creates an opportunity to work together toward solutions.
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The Rise of Eve is now a full educational curriculum for ages 13 to 19. Contact: Lburner1@gmail.com
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