HBO’s ‘I Am Evidence’ Turns a Horrifying Story About Untested Rape Kits into an Empowering Watch

It’s hard to imagine HBO‘s latest documentary, I Am Evidence, as being anything other than horrifying. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Trish Adlesic, the film sheds light on hundreds of thousands of rape kits have been left untested in police storage facilities. But instead of merely highlighting this criminal horror story, I Am Evidence stands as one of the most emotionally compelling documentaries HBO has released in years, shifting between heart-breaking revelations about the lack of justice in this country and emotionally-charged stories about survivors finally getting the justice they deserve.

Produced by Law & Order: SVU‘s Mariska Hargitay, the first third of I Am Evidence leans on its celebrity roots, primarily showing Hargitay reacting to the lack of justice at the center of the film. However, it’s the four sexual assault survivors whose stories’ lead this narrative — Erika, Danielle, Helena and Amberley — as well as Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy who stand as the real stars of this documentary.

Worthy is an immediately compelling subject. The camera clings to her every word as she rushes through Detroit, confidently and passionately rattling off statistics about these lost and untested kits. At one point, the documentary estimates that there are currently about 400,000 untested rape kits in the United States. While Hargitay reacts in shock to these numbers, Worthy plows on. To her, it’s just another horrifying part of this problem. More than any other interview, Worthy’s calm acceptance of this gross injustice cements the staggering scope of these unsolved crimes.

While Hargitay introduces viewers to this problem and Worthy is the de facto hero of the doc, the survivors at the center of this documentary stand as I Am Evidence‘s heart. Each woman has a hauntingly similar story; but the way each survivor handles her attack stands as an unspoken crash course in how different people handle trauma, a nuanced topic that that isn’t often covered in police and medical training. Two of I Am Evidence‘s subjects — Erika and Helena — speak about their assaults openly. The documentary even shows how Helena has used what happened to her to raise awareness about sexual assault, even meeting with former Vice President Joe Biden. Danielle and Amberley are a bit quieter about their trauma. Their selective words highlight how devastating these assaults were and how deeply unfair it is that they’ve had to wait so long to see any form of justice.

Despite its heavy subject matter, there are glimpses of something akin to happiness in I Am Evidence. About halfway through the documentary, it focuses on Michelle Brettin, an Ohio police officer who is disturbed by the backlog of untested rape kits. During an especially emotional moment, Brettin tearfully tells how she was able to track down an assailant thanks to a tested rape kit and recounts what it was like to tell a survivor that her assaulter would be going to jail. Danielle also has a similar moment of relief. While the cameras roll, Danielle points out her assailant to two officers. When the officers reveal that the man who violated her is now in prison, Danielle says, “Thank you. You helped me.”

Both women’s stories stand of glimmers of light in this dark documentary. And I Am Evidence is acutely aware that these moments of justice have likely only happened because of the two female officers who dedicated themselves to helping these survivors. Brettin and Michelle’s stories are in the minority, and that in and of itself is disturbing.

Because of its subject matter and the overwhelming amount of evidence on its side, it would be easy for I Am Evidence to turn into a female horror story not unlike a real-life version of The Handmaid’s Tale. But directors Gandbhir and Adlesic take a different approach, combining their shocking subject matter with equally shocking statistics, heartfelt personal stories, and frustrating explanations from officers and government officials as to why these rape kits have been left untested. There are no good answers to these questions, and the documentary doesn’t present a compelling justification for this lack of justice. Instead of an answer, I Am Evidence gives these women’s stories a platform and this problem a voice. In the face of such a huge oversight of justice, that feels revolutionary.

I Am Evidence premieres on HBO April 16, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be made available on demand starting April 17, 2018.

Stream I Am Evidence on HBO Go and HBO NOW