Questions that must be asked and truths that must be told are the driving forces of “The Rapist,” a gripping Indian social drama about a middle-class academic who wants her rapist — who has been sentenced to death and to whom she has fallen pregnant — to tell her exactly why he committed such a crime. One of the best works directed by veteran filmmaker-actor Aparna Sen (“36 Chowringhee Lane,” “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer”), “The Rapist” is a deeply affecting portrait of personal trauma and an intelligent examination of social and cultural factors fueling the horrifying prevalence of sexual violence in India.
‘The Rapist’ Review: This Hard-Hitting Social Drama is One of Aparna Sen’s Finest Works
The Rapist
