With a title like “Legitimate Rape”, one expects a raw and gritty expose of one of the worst crimes one can commit; rape. The opening quote by Rep. Todd Akin, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”, hammers this thought home. This is what Izzy Lee wants you to think. By using that quote and opening with a Senator partaking in a striptease mixed with bondage, she’s putting you in a state of unease.
That’s a state in which you stay for most of the six-minute runtime. As you watch UnAmerika’s Sweetheart Karin Webb (kind of resembling Sigourney Weaver) seductively untangle herself, you begin to question your own sexual proclivity. Either this disturbs you or it strangely turns you on. If it’s the former (which it was for me), you begin to wonder about those who find bondage and, most importantly, rape, a turn-on. Men like the Senator ( Michael Thurber), who are aroused by this fantasy. This is where the fear comes in. It slowly creeps up on you in an uncomfortable manner.
Then, Izzy Lee takes a weird turn. While I wasn’t a fan of the ending, I can’t quite say I hated it. Actually, I can’t say that. I was perplexed by it, but in a good way. It got me thinking and the more I drew my conclusions, the more I felt it worked. It’s certainly out there, but it works within the confines of the quote. And it’s disturbing, to say the least. It may be more direct than the rest of the film (which worked more on mood), but it fits.
Final Verdict: See It