Sexual harassment at the workplace is way more widespread than we imagine. Getting touched inappropriately by a male colleague or your boss getting too close for comfort does qualify for sexual harassment, but it does not always have to be at that point for you to know things are going haywire. This is exactly the point David Schwimmer’s new short film on the issue drives home.
The film starts off with a boss calling his chosen victim to find a file ‘he repeatedly keeps losing’. Yes, legit creep behaviour. But of course, you expect no diligent employee to walk out on their superiors at work when called upon for a favour. This film comes as part of a six-film series directed by Israeli-American director, Sigal Avin and produced by Schwimmer himself.
The actor says that this is his attempt to give victims of sexual harassment the courage to speak up for themselves and also for anyone else in the same boat. The film is powerful enough to make every person watching it feel as uncomfortable as they would if they really were in such a situation. With every word of unnecessary conversation Schwimmer’s character engages in while pretending to appreciate her, or letting her know how much he values her, the discomfort seeps in even more.
We’ve all sympathized with Ross in F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and to see Schwimmer as a pervert is yes slightly difficult. With his brilliant acting skills in place though, Ross will have you wanting to throw him off less than halfway through the film. Named ‘The Boss’ the movie ends with the hashtag ‘That’s Harassment’ and hits home hard. That this is an issue worth your attention and not one to be taken lightly is what this film reiterates and we beseech you to give it a watch.
