Our take
Sexual assault and trafficking are never easy to depict onscreen, especially when they’re based on true events, but Three Girls strikes a balance between realism and empathy. It’s gritty but never gratuitous, critical but never preachy. You can tell the cast and crew took their time to carefully tell this important tale, which continues to be overlooked by authorities in Manchester. As a result, Three Girls can be difficult and frustrating to sit through, but that only speaks to the quality of its acting and storytelling. Three Girls is a must-watch, but you’d be forgiven for not wanting to put it on a second time.
The story
The story of three of the children who were victims in the 2012 grooming and sex trafficking case in Rochdale, for which nine men were convicted and sentenced. The drama explores how these girls were groomed, how they were ignored by the authorities directly responsible for protecting them, and how they eventually made themselves heard.
In Rochdale, Manchester, a group of friends find themselves trapped in an abuse ring after repeatedly hanging out in a takeaway food shop. One girl, Holly (Molly Windsor), tries her best to escape.
The delicate performances of the titular three girls.
Filed under “crucial things I cannot watch again,” along with every Darren Aronofsky movie.
The details
Griselda
Carlo Bernard & Doug Miro
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Shaye Ogbonna
The Deuce
David Simon & George Pelecanos
The Act
Michelle Dean & Nick Antosca
A Friend of the Family
Mary Ann Broberg & Nick Antosca
The Good Mothers
Stephen Butchard
Wentworth
Lara Radulovich & Reg Watson
Ferry: The Series
Eshref Reybrouck & Nico Moolenaar
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
