In the two-plus years since the #metoo movement changed the culture, most of those who have been removed from power for misdeeds have been older white men — Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Les Moonves. Dream Hampton and the brave women in the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” first peeled back the curtain on an African American predator. “On the Record” reveals another predator in Russell Simmons. While R. Kelly languishes in a jail cell, Simmons is supposedly living easy on an island in the Pacific outside of U.S. extradition.
Watching “On the Record” is not easy. It is an excavation into a woman’s soul. While there are several women who accuse Simmons, it is Drew Dixon’s story that anchors this film. After over 20 years of keeping the secret and letting it slither through her body and soul, she stands up and comes forward, first in a groundbreaking New York Times article. Filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick — whose documentaries are known for tearing holes in powerful institutions, from the military to colleges and universities — have a smaller lens here, but the doc is powerful all the same. Watching Dixon see the Times piece for the first time in the actual paper in a café, you can see the expression of terror mixed with relief on her face. There was no going back.
The film reiterates that it is never easy for survivors to come forward, and that they are always second guessed. Women of color in particular are often doubted or ignored. Because of her allegations, Dixon does not have an easy time with people in the black community. She pulled back the curtain, but some had hoped it would remain closed.
What is onscreen, which is powerful and credible, is only one aspect of this film. “On the Record” premiered at Sundance to a controversy as Oprah removed her name as executive producer. There has never been a detailed public explanation as to why she ran for the hills so fast, but I dare anyone to watch this film, look at these women, and think that they are not telling the truth.
“On the Record” is now available on HBO Max.
