In the film “Accused”, Dr. Geetika, a gynecologist respected and admired by her peers, is accused of sexual assault. Unacceptable behavior, which calls into question romantic bonds… even when the truth has not yet been revealed, according to Amélie Boukhobza, psychologist.
Accused (Netflix): a growing doubt that interferes within the couple
When she is targeted by a serious accusation of sexual assault, Dr. Geetika’s life is turned upside down. In the hospital corridors, rumors begin to circulate. His reputation and name are tarnished… and the support of those around him is crumbling. Above all, doubt sets in and spreads at great speed. Did she really commit this sexual assault? Internet users have decided: she is the guilty one, justice must be done. But in Dr. Geetika’s private life, things are just as complicated: Meera, his wife, doesn’t know what to do with this information. Shocked, she sees her partner’s patients canceling their appointments, one by one… At the hospital, attitudes change: Dr Geetika’s colleagues are also distancing themselves…
As the investigation progresses, Meera’s doubts grow: the more the testimonies accumulate and the longer the silences last, the more her certainties waver. The line between the truth and the judgment of others is blurring.
Through this feature film, the director, Anubhuti Kashyap, highlights the fragility of the presumption of innocence (even before the investigation is completed, the verdict seems already rendered) and the consequences of a public scandal – where simple suspicion is enough to destroy.
Anubhuti Kashyap also shows that even in love, we can want to remain in a form of denial (should we believe the person we know intimately or accept that the image we have of them may be incomplete?). Whatever the case, being confronted with this reality can be likened to a real descent into hell.
“It’s unbearable“, admits our psychologist
Discovering that the woman (or man) with whom you shared your life could be involved in such events calls into question the entire love story you have experienced.
“It’s a real earthquake in a woman’s life (…) It’s a psychological fracture”, admits Amélie Boukhobza. “We realize that we may not know the man or woman with whom we lived. That an essential part of her/him was escaping us. It’s unsustainable.”
In daily life, the mind collapses. The loved one potentially becomes a danger. “Everything falters: memories, trust, everyday life.”
In the mind of the spouse, anxiety sets in, permanent. The scenes are replayed, analyzed, dissected. “What if I had seen?“.
Separation, a possibility that often arises
If requesting a divorce while the investigation is still underway may seem a bit “categorical” to some (what if she was innocent?), in reality, separation often appears here as a necessity. We do not leave without hope (all of this can still be false), but we leave above all to survive psychologically.
“Leaving is sometimes a way of protecting yourself from denial, from future guilt, from the psychological violence of this ‘what if’.
By leaving and putting some distance with these facts, it is then possible (sometimes) to become a full-fledged individual again, and no longer just “the wife of”.