‘Unspeakable: Rediscovering Sexual Liberation After Sexual Violence’ is a groundbreaking documentary that follows the individual stories of victim-survivors of sexual violence as they redefine sexual liberation from the ground up. Through presenter-led analysis, interviews and archival footage we discuss how our culture and wider structures of power have shaped our connection to our bodies, pleasure and our relationships.
As an ethical revolution, the movement of sexual liberation paved a path of resistance against a culture of shame and oppression, though the movement was hijacked and re-absorbed by the very culture it resisted, a culture that objectified the true nature of sexual liberation. We weave together personal, social and political conversations to examine the presence of sexual violence in Australia and ask, what does liberation mean without the safety to support it?
The split conversation of shame and glorification around our sexualities are pried open and brought together again to reframe the conversation of sexuality with driving compassion and unashamed truthfulness. With a focus on empowerment and healing, the film asks, what do we truly need to liberate?
A film not without the deep acknowledgment of the land in which it is filmed upon, we interrogate the colonial influence on the epidemic of violence and listen to First Nations resilience and modalities of healing. Alongside discussions of the wider culture of sexuality we delve into how we can build a culture of anchored and empowered sexuality for the benefit of victim-survivors and for the wider community.
From the voice of a survivor-led film, we acknowledge that the definition of sexual liberation is fundamentally redefined through the lens of victim-survivors. Through modes of compassion, provocation and humour the film calls for a movement of sexual liberation that provides victim-survivors with a pathway forward and beyond violation.
