ROSARIO DAWSON EDUCATES THROUGH FILM

Rosario Dawson wants to continue the dialogue of violence against women well after seeing the film.

The subject matter in Descent might be difficult to watch but Rosario Dawson insists its raw honesty is the only way to educate people about the harsh reality of rape.

Rosario hopes to get the film out to organizations that can help spread the message that violence against anyone, women or men is not acceptable.

“I want to try and get a really good strong discussion for it that’s taken care of and get a rape center or something affiliated so there’s a guidance for people. This film does bring up a lot of questions and there aren’t a lot of solutions in it but I do feel they do exist out there. With an education or sometimes just with the experience what we can do to continue perpetuating the violence in ourselves, to continue seeing ourselves as victims and how that shallows out our experience in this world. I’m very present to that and I thought it was important to show it through this experience and that this showing actually how ugly it got is a good way of showing people you actually don’t have to go in that direction.”

Rosario realizes the power of film as years later she is still getting feedback for Kids, the 1995 docudrama from Larry Clark about what really goes on.

“Kids was something that really started me off with that and I set the bar really high on that. I met a lot of people for a long period of time after that movie came out who were like, ‘yo I was cut off. I stopped doing drugs after that. That scene where they were all in the pool together. I thought those girls were gonna get raped and then they didn’t. I make sure I always tell my mom where I am now.’ I never had so many people say to me, ‘I always use protective sex now or I hope you’re using protective sex.’ And I’m like, ‘that movie is not an actual documentary. It looks like one, but it’s not.’ And it’s great to see how a movie can really change people. It’s not what Larry Clark or Harmony Korine did that movie for but it does get a voice out there and it does start discussion and that’s what I hope this movie does.”