Trigger Warning: These titles include content related to sexual violence, which could be traumatizing and triggering for some individuals.

“Not all men” is a common defence in response to abuse, assault and harassment — specifically in conversations focused on assault towards women and femmes. It shifts the conversation away from systemic safety and violence issues to center individual men’s feelings. 

It is factually true that not all men are perpetrators of sexual/physical violence, but it does nothing to address the social and societal conditions that make women and femmes feel unsafe and experience sexual/physical abuse and harassment. It also ignores that assault does not happen by one perpetrator, but extends to their social circle, and the institutions that enable and protect them.

Art has always been an avenue to reflect the times and process disturbing news. As we learn more about the Cornell sexual assault case, conversations on sexual assault and rape culture, albeit difficult, are necessary to have, and titles like these can help spark these discussions.

So yes, not all men, but these titles show exactly why it is important to challenge that rebuttal and shift the focus back to dismantling rape culture and holding assaulters accountable.

Women Talking (2022) dir. Sarah Polley 

Trigger warning: mentions of rape and sexual assault.

The premise: Inspired by real events, Women Talking follows a group of women in an isolated, ultra-religious community who secretly gather to decide their future after discovering that the men in their colony have been drugging and sexually assaulting them for years.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • Women Talking explores systemic patriarchy and structural complicity rather than individual malice, reflecting how the “not all men” defence fails to address institutional power.
  • The women in Women Talking are not just hiding from specific attackers; they are deciding how to survive a total community structure built on their subjugation – making individual exceptions irrelevant to the collective danger.
  • The narrative refuses to pivot toward defending “good men” or soothing male fragility. Instead, it focuses entirely on the agency, trauma, survival, and collective decision-making of the women.

Available on Crave

Adolescence (2025) dir. Philip Barantini

Trigger warning: violence and dark sexual themes.

The premise: The drama follows a 13-year-old boy named Jamie who murders a female classmate after absorbing extremist, misogynistic content online.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • “Not all men” derails the conversations about the real, measurable rise in everyday misogyny and peer radicalization — especially in schools.
  • While individual violence or radicalization doesn’t affect all boys, the underlying cultural pressures and digital echo chambers impact a large enough segment of youth to warrant systemic attention.
  • Highlights the importance of dismantling sexism and misogyny in young boys at an early age.

Available on Netflix 

I May Destroy You (2020) dir. Michaela Coel, Sam Miller

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, rape, violence, graphic sex scenes.

The premise: After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, Arabella’s life changes irreversibly, and she is forced to reassess everything, including her career, friends and family.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • Instead of dividing men into clear categories of “monsters” or “good guys,” the show highlights how ordinary men can commit violations or ignore consent in subtle, damaging ways.
  • Arabella and her friends navigate encounters where male defensiveness prevents genuine empathy or understanding of female vulnerability.
  • The narrative refuses to offer comforting reassurances to male egos, choosing instead to center the complex, messy reality of trauma and survival.

Available on Crave

Promising Young Woman (2020) dir. Emerald Fennell

Trigger warning: Sexual assault is implied (characters watch a video off-screen), violence.

The premise: A young woman pretends to be intoxicated to entrap men who were taking advantage of vulnerable women. It tackles rape culture, victim-blaming, and how educational institutions often fail SA victims while protecting perpetrators.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • The film focuses heavily on men who present themselves as decent, harmless, and polite, but who still take advantage of incapacitated women and femmes.
  • Instead of saying all men are monsters, the movie argues that the “not all men” defence minimizes the problem. It shows how ordinary men look the other way, provide alibis, or benefit from a culture that protects perpetrators.
  • The narrative expands on how this “not all men” mindset is not specifically held by men. It explicitly shows that women and institutions can also be deeply complicit in minimizing trauma and protecting men who commit assault.

Available on Netflix & Prime Video

Sorry, Baby (2025) dir. Eva Victor

Trigger warning: mentions of rape and sexual assault.

The premise: The story follows Agnes as she processes being assaulted by a former university advisor, showing how daily life continues alongside grief, offering a compassionate look at recovery.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • Agnes deals with various institutions failing her, particularly the educational institution that employed her assaulter. Sorry, Baby depicts how the failure to protect victims of SA is a systemic issue. 
  • The inaction of the two women advisors Agnes talks to highlights that even women can be complicit and protect the perpetrators. 
  • The patriarchal structures ingrained in our society encourage us to enable the perpetrator or look the other way.

Available on Crave

The Accused (1988) dir. Jonathan Kaplan

Trigger warning: Sexual assault is shown in flashback, violence, verbal abuse. If you’d like to skip the sexual assault scene, stop at 1:27:05 and resume at 1:33:00.

The premise: The Accused takes a powerful and thought-provoking look at a judicial process that treats the victim like a criminal. Sarah Tobias, who is gang-raped in her neighbourhood bar, finds herself battling the legal system, not once but twice, as she and her attorney go after both her attackers and the onlookers whose cheering fueled and encouraged the assault.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • The film focuses heavily on the men who did not physically rape Sarah Tobias, but who stood by, cheered, hollered, and egged the attackers on, arguing that they are just as responsible as the attackers. It rejects the idea that passive or everyday men are completely harmless if they excuse or minimize abuse.
  • Societal and peer encouragement drives sexual assault. Bystander culture exposes how group dynamics and peer pressure encourage men to participate in atrocities.
  • The plot also tackles how society scrutinizes the victim’s past, clothing, or behaviour instead of focusing on the aggressors.

Available to rent

The Hunting Ground (2015) dir. Kirby Dick

Trigger warning: mentions of rape and sexual assault.

The premise: The 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground exposes sexual assault on U.S. college campuses and includes testimonies from both female and male survivors.

The “Not All Men” Critique: 

  • It highlights how social stigmas in male social circles make it difficult for men to speak up, hold each other accountable, and address even their own assault.
  • Focuses on the systemic institutional failure of victims, the predatory behaviour of repeat offenders, and the conscious/unconscious enabling from their social circles.