film

Schwartzman's careful narrative derives its power not just from the archived depravity that gave prosecutors plenty of evidence... but the troubling inquiry - with no simple answers - at the heart of the case.

Some of the most disturbing material in "Roll Red Roll" comes via audio from a sports radio show.

[Schwartzman] stitches together her narrative through the text messages and social media posts that made the Steubenville case infamous. But she also grounds the story in the reaction of the community.

Some of the filmmaking here is a little frustrating, but Roll Red Roll is ultimately an insightful portrait of an entire city shaken and altered by one heinous act, amplified by modern technology.

Even if you're steeped in the saga of Steubenville, the film contains plenty to appall you afresh.

"Roll Red Roll" captures, with potent power, how the "If it feels good, wreck it" ethos of the beer-pong drink-till-you-submit forced "hookup" is finding more and more of a home among high schoolers.

A tough but essential watch, "Roll Red Roll" documents how a sexual assault in a declining Appalachian town became an international cause célèbre.

Documentaries don't usually horrify the oxygen out of me, but I found myself gulping for air more than once during Roll Red Roll.

The only real strike against this well-constructed, compelling picture is that it could stand to be longer; director Nancy Schwartzman occasionally sacrifices depth for brevity, only scratching the surface of small-town sports culture and groupthink.

Director Nancy Schwartzman knows that no commentary or condemnation could be as devastating as simply presenting us with the footage of the adults and teenagers involved in the case of the Steubenville high school football players.