Sorry/Not Sorry

by Tony Medley

98 minutes.

NR.

Louis C.K. was an immensely successful comedian/producer whose perversion was masturbating in front of women. It was a not-so-closely-held secret until it became a scandal. He made a 35mm film in 2017 called “I Love You Daddy” that was so disgusting it wasn’t released. Although I saw it, I did not write a review because the scandal broke almost immediately after my viewing, and I thought it would not see the light of day.

This illuminating documentary is based on the New York Times article, Louis C.K. is Accused by 5 Women of Sexual Misconduct by Melena Ryzlik, Cara Buckley and Jodi Kantor and is directed by Caroline Suh and Cara Mones.

Up-and-coming comediennes Jen Kirkman and Megan Koestler are interviewed at length about their experiences which shattered their lives. Also interviewed, Dana Min Goodman and Julia Willow were two female emerging comics whom he invited to his room where he asked if he could masturbate in front of them. When they were stunned into silence, he took off his clothes and, naked, did it. Their promising careers virtually died aborning as a result of this experience, and they explain why.

These stories are shocking, but equally shocking are the hypocritical people who defend Louis C.K. and diminish the women making the accusations, like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher (“there’s a litany of things that are a lot worse than [masturbating] in front of a few people.”), Dave Chappelle, and Luis J Gomez (“What did he do, he [masturbated] in front of a few women…who hasn’t?”).

The film concludes with Louis C.K.’s comeback and a few comments from people like Michael Ian Black, a comedian, who asks “How do we welcome people back and how do we not welcome people back?”

Louis C.K.’s victims have some comments about his comeback, too. This important film highlights the sordid underbelly of show business. Streaming and available everywhere you can rent/buy movies.