An absolutely astonishing 2001 documentary, involving accusations of rape at a fraternity house, which caused quite a stir when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. After that it largely fell into obscurity (the pic was acquired by Artisan Entertainment, who never followed through on their planned August 2001 release), only to attain newfound notoriety in the wake of the 2006 Duke lacrosse case, leading to a DVD release later that year. The film has once again faded from view, but I say it deserves renewed attention in light of the 2024 Cornell University scandal, the sordid details of which closely parallel those of RAW DEAL: A QUESTION OF CONSENT.
RAW DEAL: A QUESTION OF CONSENT (2001) Trailer
The alleged rape occurred in Gainesville FL, at the University of Florida Delta Chi fraternity house on the night of February 26, 1999. The accuser was Lisa Gier King, a former exotic dancer who was paid to do a striptease for the fraternity brothers following an outdoor pledge event; after the show was over, King was driven home but elected to head back to the frat house, with the resulting 3-4 hour bacchanale captured by two of the participants on 8mm videotape. The following morning, King contacted police, who after viewing one of the two videotapes determined that she was lying about being raped, and arrested her for falsely reporting a crime. This was followed by the inevitable media frenzy and, unbelievably enough, public dissemination of the video footage that got King arrested.
Word of the case reached the Florida college students Alfred Spellman, David Sypkin and Billy Corben, who immediately headed for Gainesville with cameras in tow. The production of RAW DEAL commenced in January 2000, and had its world premiere a year later. Controversy, unsurprisingly, ensued, although the reaction was unexpected, with men overwhelmingly siding with Ms. King and women arguing that she was in the wrong. I say everyone depicted in RAW DEAL comes off poorly.
Following a textual warning that portions of this film “are extremely graphic and will be disturbing to some viewers,” a simple editing dynamic is established: portions of the 8mm video footage shot by the fraternity brothers are shown, interspaced with talking head commentary, primarily by Lisa Gier King and Delta Chi pledge master Tony Marzullo, both of whose words often directly contradict what the video footage depicts.
The whole mess begins with indistinct footage of the nocturnal forest-based fraternity pledge event (a hazing ritual, it would seem), followed by footage of an inebriated King and her partner Disa Holly doing some especially saucy stripteases for the frat boys. Later we see King canoodling in a hot tub with Marzullo and his roommate Mike “Scary” Yahraus, and then in their bedroom, where the alleged rape occurs. As in THE ACCUSED (1988), the incident, introduced by Marzullo’s promise of “The raping of a white trash crackhead bitch,” is unveiled in the third act, and it’s quite something to behold: an extended sexual power play waged by King and Yahraus that plays like an especially seedy porno. Eventually the cameras are turned off and, King alleges, the real depravity ensued.
As author Tanya Horeck has claimed, “RAW DEAL is to documentary film what Akira Kurosawa’s RASHOMON (1950) is to fiction film: a self-reflexive exploration of the limitations of cinema’s truth-telling functions.” She’s not wrong, as graphic though RAW DEAL’s video footage is, it’s not entirely conclusive, especially in light of the accompanying commentary by Marzullo and King, which doesn’t do either one of them any favors. She, for the record, is constantly offering up outlandish excuses for her behavior, such as the claim that she sidled up to Marzullo and masturbated him at the end of the video “to make (Mike Yahraus) go away,” while the fraternity brothers come off as so insanely sleazy, conniving, stuck-up and plain evil it’s impossible to work up any sympathy for them (as a dark expose of frat boy culture this film ranks with Todd Phillips’ infamous 1998 doco FRAT HOUSE).
Also coming off poorly are NOW, whose representatives, it’s made clear, demanded $5,000, 40 percent of the profits and final cut in exchange for their participation (demands the filmmakers understandably declined to grant), and state attorney Rod Smith, who steadfastly refused to be interviewed about his handling of the case (in footage of director Billy Corben literally chasing Smith around with a microphone). To repeat: in this film everyone comes off poorly.
What we can admire is the simplicity of the film’s construction, which may well have been a product the filmmakers’ amateur status, but works in their favor. The complete lack of slickness, fancy editing and epic flourishes (with several important figures, including Mike Yahraus and Disa Holly, having declined to participate) enhances the intimate air of the proceedings and ensures that the focus never wavers. Lisa Gier King herself has praised the finished film, claiming it “did a better job of investigating this than the police,” and she’s not wrong.
Vital Statistics
RAW DEAL: A QUESTION OF CONSENT
Rakontur
Director: Billy Corben
Producers: Alfred Spellman, Billy Corben
Cinematography: Lawrence Janus
Editing: Billy Corben, Armando Salas
Cast: Lisa Gier-King, Tony Marzullo, Cendra Gier, Marie Gier, Jay Wamsley, Mark Rodriguez, Julie Sina, Joey Sharkey, Avi Mizrahi, Jose Gonzalez, Aaron Bernstein, Tom Edwards, Craig DeThomasis, Heather McCleod, Chester Chance, Mike Yahraus