A stirring and poetic documentary about an almost forgotten crime from the Jim Crow era that resonates once again through the current #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo movements.

The act that gives this documentary its name – the despicable gang rape of young black woman Recy Taylor by six white men in Alabama in 1944 – is one that doesn’t deserve to be lost to the recesses of time. Taylor’s story is one of stoic heroism in the face of unspeakable trauma and horrific injustice: she risked everything seeking justice, and despite the ultimate lack of convictions the crime sparked national protests that helped light the fire of the Civil Rights movement: Rosa Parks was one of the voices supporting Taylor, years before her own history-changing act of defiance.

Director Nancy Buirski infuses this still too relevant story with archival video, traditional spiritual songs and excerpts from race films by black filmmakers – historically the only movies to authentically tell the African American experience on screen. As the racial rhetoric of Jim Crow makes its disturbing return to the nightly news, this winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Human Rights Film Network Award offers poignant inspiration for those seeking to carry on Taylor’s fight for equality – including Oprah Winfrey, who paid tribute to Taylor in her viral Golden Globes lifetime achievement award speech.

"Astounding … a stirring, infuriating marvel." – RogerEbert.com