Sorry/Not Sorry Review – Doc Unpacks The Shocking Fall of Louis C.K.

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Tuesday, 09 July 2024 08:59

Written by Janet Walker

Sorry/Not Sorry, from Greenwich Entertainment, brings to the screen an expose that examines comedian Louis C.K.'s shocking/not-so-shocking fall from grace in the wake of a sex scandal that exposed his exhibitionist predilections of which he is unrepentant.

Louis C.K. is an admitted exhibitionist. Apparently, from the doc, the comedian has an insatiable, compelling need to masturbate in front of women. He admits this is "his thing." And he has paid a steep price, losing nearly $35 million in one day, after a shocking New York Times article exposed his thing, and he explained that the allegations were all true.

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He is called a predator, and due to the timing, the allegations were amplified as he was swept up in the Harvey Weinstein #MeToo movement.

Granted, the behavior is disgusting, anti-social, and repulsive and from the simple explanation in the documentary, offensive to the women (as it should be) who confronted career assassination for reporting his behavior. Sexual misconduct at the "job," which in his case was television sets and after-hours comedy clubs, is still a no-no, even with permission generally there is a no masturbation rule at the office and in public it evolves into a crime.

And, this is crucial, he asked for permission, he didn't drug the women, he didn't rape the women, (according to the doc), he didn't follow them to their home, plan an ambush, and then crush their lives, circumventing every opportunity until they were destitute when they reported him.

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All women confront the possibility of career assassination when reporting sexual violence, it is the go-to abuse, especially when the predator is desperate to remain free to rape again.  

The women interviewed for the documentary, are honest and present with humor, the complicated experiences they had with the comedian. They also explain the personal and professional consequences they faced for speaking out. Comedian Sarah Silverman explains that she hates his behavior but loves him.

I'm a hardliner when it comes to sexual violence, predators, and rape. Lumping Louis C.K. in this group is inaccurate. Each of the women could leave at any time, they did not allege they were restrained by any means other than shock or frozen in fear which is real. They did allege they confronted career devaluation.

So, Louis C.K. has exhibitionist disorder. Laymen and society would say he is a performer, of course, he has an exhibitionist disorder. However,  Exhibitionist Disorder according to the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders states, "A diagnosis of exhibitionistic disorder can be made if the following criteria are met, according to the DSM-5: Over a period of at least six months, a person has recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, behaviors, or urges that involve exposing the genitals to an unsuspecting person." By his own admission, he checks the boxes.

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It's like the elephant in the room, now that it is in the open, (no pun intended), we can almost discuss the documentary. The minute a baby boy finds his genitals, life is never the same. So, should society be free to water down the evilness of rape and sexual predators by openly ostracizing a man who acts on what others can control? Rape, let's be clear, is not about exhibitionism.

The documentary unpacks for viewers how an open secret about comedian Louis C.K.'s sexual misconduct evolved into a front-page article in The New York Times.

By re-examining Louis C.K.'s behavior and his unprecedented comeback, alongside the testimonies of these women, directors Caroline Suh and Cara Mones shed new light on questions about sex and power in the workplace, who gets to take the stage, and the role the public plays in these stories at large.

Featuring interviews with the New York Times reporters, Melena Ryzik, Cara Buckley, and Jodi Kantor, who broke the original story, along with comedians, gatekeepers, and critics including Michael Ian Black, Michael Schur, Aida Rodriguez, Andy Kindler, Noam Dworman, and Wesley Morris, the film leaves viewers contemplating: who is afforded a second chance, and who is overlooked in the process?

Sorry/Not Sorry opens in select theaters on July 12, 2024. For fans of Louis C.K. and his brand of off-color, raunchy humor, check your local listings for showtimes. For others, it will stream soon enough.  It is not for everyone. 

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Country: United States.

Runtime: 90 minutes.

Release Date: July 12, 2024.

Director: Caroline Suh, Cara Mones.

Producer: Caroline Suh, Cara Mones, Kathleen Lingo.

Participants: Jen Kirkman, Abby Schachner, Megan Koester, Noam Dworman, Michael Ian Black, Michael Schur, Aida Rodriguez, Andy Kindler, Alison Herman, Jesse David Fox, Sean L. McCarthy, Jodi Kantor, Cara Buckley, Melena Ryzik, Wesley Morris.