'Unbelievable': Netflix miniseries explores the true story of Marie Adler, the rape victim nobody believed
She is doing it for attention.
It is bogus.
She made up the story.
Generally, these are some of the reactions that people give when they hear about a sexual abuse case and it's a reality that women all over the world are much very aware of. This kind of apathy is one of the biggest deterrents of justice for victims of sexual assault. Now, Netflix is trying to show this precise problem with its upcoming miniseries titled 'Unbelievable', based on real events.
"If the truth is inconvenient, they don't believe it."
In the trailer for the miniseries, Marie Adler (played by Kaitlyn Dever) lives every woman's most terrifying nightmare. She is sexually assaulted in her own by an intruder. But when the teenager files a police complaint, the investigating detectives, as well as the people closest to her, do not believe her story. Dejected and then doubtful of her own truth, Marie then admits she made it up.
In The Marshall Project and ProPublica Pulitzer Prize-winning article, "An Unbelievable Story of Rape," written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, the writers talk about how Marie finally gave in and admitted that she was lying.
"...her misdemeanor had made the news and made her an object of curiosity or, worse, scorn. It had cost her the newfound independence she was savoring after a life in foster homes. It had cost her sense of worth. Each ring of the phone seemed to announce another friendship, lost. A friend from 10th grade called to ask: How could you lie about something like that? Marie — that’s her middle name, Marie — didn’t say anything. She just listened, then hung up. Even her foster parents now doubted her. She doubted herself, wondering if there was something in her that needed to be fixed."
But her truth wasn't invalid at all. Hundreds of miles away, in another part of the country, detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall (played by Emmy winners Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) meet while investigating an eerily similar pair of intruder rapes and partner to catch a potential serial rapist.
Inspired by the real events written about in the ProPublica article, and the This American Life radio episode, 'Anatomy of Doubt', 'Unbelievable' is a story of unspeakable trauma, unwavering tenacity, and astounding resilience.
Looking at a September 13, 2019, release, 'Unbelievable' handles a critical subject with the utmost sensitivity. Through the responsible documenting by Oscar nominees Grant and Cholodenko, the miniseries reiterates that rape is not something that people just get over; it is a trauma they carry for the rest of their lives.
Showrunner Susannah Grant executive produces the series, from CBS Television Studios, along with Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Lisa Cholodenko, Ayelet Waldman, Michael Chabon, Katie Couric, Richard Tofel, Neil Barsky, Robyn Semien, and Marie.
You can watch the trailer here: