Synopsis
The story of young, brilliant African-American Anita Hill who accuses the Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of unwanted sexual advances during explosive Senate Hearings in 1991 and ignites a political firestorm about sexual harassment, race, power and politics that resonates today.
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Cast
- Anita HillSelf
- Joe BidenSelf (archive footage)
- Clarence ThomasSelf
- Alan K. SimpsonSelf (archive footage)
Recommendations
- 90
The Hollywood Reporter
This intelligent and comprehensive documentary not only conveys the genuine nature of Hill herself, but also recreates the national sensibility of the time, an era when sexual harassment in the workplace was not yet a national concern. - 90
Los Angeles Times
If you can't place the name, or want to know more, Anita is a splendid place to start. - 90
The New York Times
Anita is an important historical document about an event that prompted a larger cultural conversation about sexual harassment. But, perhaps more important, it conveys Ms. Hill’s journey from an accuser alone to an activist who shares with, and listens to, others. - 80
Time Out
Writer-director Freida Lee Mock’s concise and potent chronicle uses a wealth of archival video and numerous new interviews with its subject to properly contextualize Hill’s testimony as a landmark moment in the fight for gender equality. - 80
Variety
Anita may be a tribute doc, but it’s one with real heft. - 60
The Dissolve
It doesn’t provide enough rigorously reported context about what happened in 1991 to feel like anything close to a definitive portrait of the Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas saga. - 60
New York Daily News
Anita Hill deserves a great documentary chronicling her life, her trials and her ongoing impact. This underwhelming effort isn’t it. - 50
Village Voice
Too much of the movie feels like notes toward a portrait rather than the portrait itself, and Mock's failure to nail down the Thomas case drains the power from the victory-lap scenes of Hill addressing adoring crowds.