Roll Red Roll
2018 American film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roll Red Roll is a 2018 American documentary film, directed and produced by Nancy Schwartzman. It follows the Steubenville High School rape case.[1]
Steven Lake
Nancy Schwartzman
Maxyne Franklin
| Roll Red Roll | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nancy Schwartzman |
| Produced by | Jessica Devaney Steven Lake Nancy Schwartzman Maxyne Franklin |
| Cinematography | Matt Bockelman |
| Music by | Nima Fakhrara |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2018. It was released in a limited release on March 22, 2019, by Together Films, prior to its debut on POV on PBS on June 17, 2019.
Plot
The documentary looks into the Steubenville High School rape case that occurred in August 2012. It also documents Alexandria Goddard's investigation and documentation of the crimes through her true crime blog.[2]
Cast
- Alexandria Goddard
- Rachel Dissell
- J.P. Rigaud
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2018.[3] In February 2019, Together Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, while POV acquired broadcast distribution rights to the film.[4] The film was released in a limited release on March 22, 2019, prior to its debut on POV on PBS on June 17, 2019.[5][6]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 100%, based on 29 reviews, with an average of 8.3/10.[7] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, rates the film 83 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".[8]
Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote, "A tough but essential watch, “Roll Red Roll” documents how a sexual assault in a declining Appalachian town became an international cause célèbre."[9] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "... piercingly relevant and disturbing documentary about an infamous high school rape case...".[10] Oliver Jones of The Observer wrote, "And while it is good that a director as versed on the subject of consent as Schwartzman is bringing her unwavering eye to the problem, it makes it all the more painful that we seem even further away from solving the issue then we were on that fateful August night in Ohio seven years ago."[11] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Difficult to watch, but essential viewing."[12]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Nantucket Film Festival | Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award | Won | [13] |
| Monmouth Film Festival | Best Feature Documentary | Won | [14] | |
| Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | Clio Visualizing History Award | Won | [15] | |
| BendFilm Festival | Best Feature | Won | [16] | |
| Chagrin Documentary Film Festival | Best Film | Won | [17] | |
| 2019 | Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US | Spotlight Award | Nominated | [18] |
| Cleveland International Film Festival | Local Heroes Competition | Nominated | [19] | |
| Excellence in Directing by a Woman | Nominated |