Confirmation

HBO Films

HBO has made some seriously great films, the best being their recreations of political events in recent history. In the past Jay Roach has helmed the films "Recount," about the 2000 presidential mess in Florida, and "Game Change," about Sarah Palin's derailment of John McCain's bid in the 2008 election. Just as important of a political event was the testimony of Professor Anita Hill, a woman who testified that present Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her in the workplace years beforehand. Though Hill didn't want to disclose the former abuse, a committee brought her to Washington and made her a pioneer in women's rights that fateful fall of 1991.

 Anita Hill's testimony brought about a large amount of social change and discussion about sexual harassment. She is a distinguished, practiced woman who is played by the ever talented Kerry Washington. Also in the cast is woefully underpraised actor Wendell Pierce as Clarence Thomas, Greg Kinnear as Joe Biden, and Grace Gummer as Ricki Seidman, a member of the committee that vetted Thomas. The story is very simple. It follows the press coverage and undermining political gameplay of Thomas' confirmation hearing. Hill gives her account and is mercilessly questioned in the private and public arena. Though there are some holes in Hill's story, and some disbelieve her claims, this account simply shows two sides of one story. Thomas is portrayed as a man blindsided by the allegations and wants his childhood of racism and poverty to mean something to a court with all white justices.

Though the film ends with Hill losing out to Congress on Thomas' nomination, and she becomes a laughingstock to a nation, Hill looks like an underdog, a warrior for women's rights. She is dogged by criticism from everyone, including the committee, and her treatment in the public eye is simply ridiculous. Whether you believe her testimony or not, you must be appalled by the ridiculous way she was treated. Hill is a woman highly regarded, and yet belittled by the very people she wanted to protect from Thomas' reign. In our society, women's allegations or shared histories are often dismissed out of hand. The reasons for this vary drastically, but in Hill's case it was simply because she was a woman, telling the world that if you want to be tasked with something as serious as a Supreme Court judgeship then you need to treat women with respect. It's a simple thing to ask even today, but apparently this is too difficult for this country's legislature.