Page 32 - The Staunch Test

THE STAUNCH TEST

Staunch Test Debate
As mentioned earlier, all the films and TV dramas that fall under the Debate
category are Staunch Test Fails in that they contain sexual or physical violence

to a woman or women. But in some definite and obvious way, they are trying to
do something else. That something else must be critical, condemning,
illuminating, revelatory or show a woman striking back in an effective and
redemptive way. This must be central to the premise, not an action tagged on
to an otherwise exploitative story of women as victims. It is not easy to pull off,
as the violence, abuse or murder will probably be included and shown.

We don’t always agree as a team on whether a title should gain the Debate
rating. Others seeing the work might also disagree. That’s fine. We are happy to
engage in dialogue and to be persuaded otherwise if there is something we’ve
missed or misread. Titles previously mentioned that fall under the Debate rating
include the TV series Big Little Lies, which features graphic domestic violence,
and I May Destroy You, which features drug rape and its aftermath.

The feature film Promising Young Woman is an ‘avenge’ story where a woman

punishes predatory men who would take advantage of the vulnerable woman
she pretends to be. She does this following the gang rape and suicide of her best
friend. It gets a Staunch Test Debate rating because it is important that other
aspects, and other outcomes of violence against women on screen are given
breathing space. But particularly with women-led rape revenge films, we
question the endings, as these tend to see the avenging woman punished, such

as feature film M.F. A. (2017) or killed.

Submit a Staunch Test rated film or TV title

11. The Staunch Test Database

The database will be a permanent and growing record of thrillers and other
relevant titles which and their PASS, FAIL, DEBATE rankings. Primarily
crowdsourced from public contributions, It will take time to build and we are

seeking funding or donations to support us while we grow it to thousands of
titles. We have made a good start, and below is a screen shot of how it will
look, including live links to IMDb and comments.