Questions for "The Accusation"

• The distributor of this French film writes that it poses opposite “truths”? Agree or disagree. Explain.

• Did your feelings towards Alexandre Farel (the student and alleged rapist) change during the course of the film?

• Do you think that his parents being a “power couple” and the ease with which he has sexual experiences (from what we see of his relationship with an older woman early in the movie) influenced his behavior with Mila? 

• Why did Alexandre not realize that Mila did not want sexual relations with him? Why did the younger woman not protest his advances?

• Do you think the trial’s outcome (sentencing) was fair or unfair? Explain.

• The press kit talks about “the impossibility of retrospectively determining what constitutes consensual sex.”  Do you agree?

• The press kit notes that the director included “…the point of view of each character, while leaving the dignity of all intact.” Do you agree?

• The novel from which the film was adapted is called Les Choses Humaines, The Human Things. Is that an apt title? Which title do you prefer? Explain.  

• How can we educate young men and women so that they have communication skills that might prevent such situations from occurring?