David Schwimmer (that’s right, Ross from Friends) wants you to know about sexual harassment. The actor recently took on producing duties to create a series of public service announcements on the subject. Known as #ThatsHarassment, the short films depict the kinds of sexual harassment that often go unreported or underreported.
American-Israeli writer and director Sigal Avin originally created short films depicting sexual harassment for an Israeli audience. Two months ago, Avin shared them with Schwimmer, who was moved to create an American analogue. With the help of Milk Studios‘ Mazdack Rassi, the team created six short films in only six weeks. Each deals with the often sensitive but constantly relevant topic of sexual harassment, usually in work settings.
“We’ve seen a lot of sexual violence in the media, but we’ve not seen this particular grey area of sexual assault, where it’s about power and a certain dynamic,” Schwimmer said on The View last week.
Videos feature hard-to-watch moments
Each video employs a shaky-cam technique positioned at the perimeter of a scene. The perspective lends a voyeuristic quality to the shots. As hidden witnesses to the abuses that unfold, the viewer feels at times powerless, guilty and angry — emotions that often plague the victims of sexual harassment themselves.
These feelings are compounded by a disclaimer at the beginning of each video that the following story is based on an actual incident. The cringe-worthiness becomes harder to bear in light of this veracity, as one could imagine their female loved ones having experienced similar scenarios. (After all, almost 1 in 3 women ages 18 to 34 reported having experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, according to Cosmopolitan in 2015.)
Timely production in light of recent events
The release of the #ThatsHarassment videos offers a timely guide in light of recent events. At the beginning of the month, President Donald Trump declared April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Ironically, 16 women (including his ex-wife, Ivana Trump) have publicly accused Trump himself of sexual harassment (not to mention the surreptitiously recorded audio in 2005 of then-TV celebrity Trump bragging about how his status allowed him to sexually assault women with impunity).
Just last week, Trump came to the defense of embattled Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly and the network have paid about $13 million to five women who levied charges against the talking head, some of which were for unwanted advances of a sexual nature. Trump, apparently using his personal knowledge of O’Reilly as a baseline for judgment, said last week: “I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”
Pointedly, Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver has created his own public service announcement on sexual harassment to be aired during The O’Reilly Factor in the hopes of educating POTUS on the finer subtleties of sexual misconduct (for example, what constitutes it).
See for yourself
Besides the video featuring Schwimmer himself as the aggressor at the top of this page, you can watch the other five videos below. Warning: Some contain relatively graphic content that is most likely NSFW and may be triggering for victims of sexual harassment.
The Doctor
The Actor
The Coworker
The Photographer
The Politician
