RATE IT X

What do men really think of women? This provocative documentary provides an unflinching look at sexism in America. Disturbing though sly portraits uncover obvious culprits — advertising firms and porn shops —that reinforce negative conceptions of women, but the filmmakers also reveal sexist imagery that promotes gender stereotyping in somewhat more subtle and subversive ways, showing how sexism becomes rationalized through commerce, religion and social mores. Hotly contested upon its release, RATE IT X suggests how advertising and pornography shape attitudes that may contribute to violence against women. Although the #MeToo campaign has exposed endemic sexual harassment and criminality in U.S. society, many will shake their heads upon seeing RATE IT X and conclude that the more things change the more they stay the same.

This hair-raising ride through American male chauvinism provokes laughter, groans, anger and recognition. Pornographers, corporate executives, a funeral parlor director, and Santa Claus are among those who reveal more than they intend.

A New 4K Restortation by IndieCollect, co-restored with NYWIFT’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund & UCLA Film & Television Archive