Page 6 February 14, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment
By Morgan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
If you’re looking for the next provocative
and thought-provoking documentary, I suggest
watching Untouchable -- afilm that examines
the divisive topic of sex offender laws and the
people they affect.
Director David Feige’s 2016 Tribeca-winning
film is centered around one father’s uncompromising
quest for justice for his daughter and
his mission to keep her abuser -- the family’s
former nanny -- behind bars and stigmatized for
life. But that begs the question: is redemption
for sex offenders possible?
Sexual abuse doesn’t discriminate against race,
religion or status. Just ask Ron Book, the most
powerful political lobbyist in Florida. When Ron
discovered that his daughter Lauren had been a
victim of horrific sexual abuse, which took place
for years under his own roof by someone he
knew and trusted, he was determined to make
a change. Ron’s legislation, which is currently
the strictest in the nation, sent sex offenders
into exile. With its enforcement, those convicted
must live within certain boundaries away from
public gathering spots where children frequent
like schools and parks. Because of these strict
living requirements, many of the accused have
succumbed to homelessness. They live under
bridges, without tents, because legally, per
Book’s law, that is the only place they can
reside. And while over 800,000 people have
been affected by these sex offender laws, this
doesn’t take into account the number of people
associated with the convicted offender whose
life is also uprooted and forever changed.
Ron Book shows no sympathy for the people
convicted of these crimes, and that is understandable.
As a bilateral victim, he is justified in his
feelings of hatred. However, there are those on
the other side of the issue who feel that sex
offenders are the only subcategory of people
who “cannot” rebuild their lives and so they
are forever stigmatized as criminals. Murderers,
drug addicts and more are encouraged to turn
their lives around with the promise of a “fresh
start” and “new slate,” but the same doesn’t
apply to sex offenders. Feige interviews some
of the people who feel as if they have been
stigmatized indefinitely, and their outlook on
this issue is eye-opening.
Untouchable is uncomfortable, as is its intention,
although Feige and team likely didn’t
purposefully include a clip from comedian
Louis CK’s controversial monologue about
child molestation and how “it must be good
if people are willing to ruin their lives for this
act” just to be controversial. Given the hot water
Louis CK finds himself in currently over his
own sexual abuse accusations, this “joke” feels
too creepy and ill-timed to prove any sort of
point for the accused. By the film’s end and
after a thorough job of examining both sides of
the issue, Untouchable will force the viewer to
debate this hot-button topic and leave us with
this loaded question: should there be redemption
for sex offenders?
Untouchable is not rated. 105 minutes. Available
to stream on Amazon Prime. •
Cherry by Nico Walker
Reviewed by Jeff Huttinger, Library
Assistant, El Segundo Public Library
Author Nico Walker’s debut novel Cherry
is a funny, disturbing and timely look at
many of the ailments plaguing modern
America through the eyes of a directionless
young man, home from the war and
grappling with addiction. Taken on this dark
journey by a nameless protagonist, Walker
introduces the reader to a world of bank
robbery, heartbreak, war, PTSD and the
opioid epidemic at such a rapid pace that,
like the narrator himself, we find ourselves
so fully immersed in the madness that moments
of extreme absurdity soon begin to
feel commonplace.
It’s Cleveland, 2003, and our high schoolage
narrator falls hard for a young woman
named Emily. Although their chemistry is
palpable, the narrator’s affection goes mostly
unrequited. Frustrated and adrift, he joins the
military where his troubles really begin. He is
assigned medic duty and is quickly exposed
to the worst atrocities combat can inflict. The
narrator corresponds with Emily throughout
his time at war, torturing himself with thoughts
of loss and infidelity. Later, he is discharged
with PTSD and an addiction to painkillers.
After returning home and reconnecting with
Emily, the narrator exposes her to opioids.
Before long, they are both addicted, and the
narrator turns to robbing banks as a means
of funding their next high.
And like a junkie scrambling for his latest
fix, this book doesn’t slow down. Cherry
moves swiftly, leaving our narrator little
time for regret, and even less for introspection.
Pain isn’t examined thoroughly -- it is
almost glossed over entirely. Nico Walker’s
style is less like a series of reflective journal
entries and more like an old friend after a
few drinks sharing his most recent screw-up.
We are travelling with a storyteller who, in
his dark tour of a hidden America, tends not
to overthink a situation. Cherry is a pageturner
and I enjoyed it immensely. Although
some readers may find themselves disgusted
at the depravity, most will continue with this
downward spiral until the very last page.
There’s always something mesmerizing about
the horror of a car accident that makes it
impossible to look away.
To check out Cherry, also available in
eBook format, or browse any of our other
fiction titles, please visit the library to apply
for your free library card. •
Check It Out
Cherry by Nico Walker.
Jeff Huttinger.
Film Review
Untouchable, Courtesy of Blue Lawn Productions.
Morgan Rojas
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Untouchable Review: Redemption
for Sex Offenders?