10 Stupid Movie Controversies That Totally Missed The Point

5. Compliance Is Exploitative & Too Ridiculous

Craig Zobel's Compliance was one of the most discussed and divisive films of 2012, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and immediately opening a dialogue about the film's merits (or apparent lack thereof) in the post-film Q&A, where director Zobel was shouted at by some members of the audience (whereas others simply chose to walk out). The film's premise is about a young girl working at a fast food restaurant who is accused by a police officer of stealing from customers. The police officer never appears at the fast food place in person, but in fact convinces the restuarant's manager of his identity over the phone, and then further convinces the manager and other employees to detain the young girl, escalating to the point where he asks them to perform a humiliating strip search on the girl also, among other things. The depravity of the film's premise caused some to label it as exploitative and simply too ridiculous to believe. After all, surely any girl being asked to strip would simply leave the premises? The disturbing truth is that the film is in fact based on true events, and more to the point, the film actually tones down the depravity, not directly showing some of the more lascivious events that took place in the real incident. The film may not be pleasant, but it's a disturbing reminder of the power of authority, or more to the point, the power of presumed authority.