Some films we watch for entertainment and others to inform ourselves. The powerful documentary A Peloton of One is more the latter, but it is always very compelling.
First this: a peloton is a group of cyclists. There is strength in numbers.
But Dave Ohlmuller sets off on a cross-country journey to raise awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) and influence the people who can make a difference, as a lone rider. A peloton of one man.
Ohlmuller is a survivor of CSA. Abused at the age of 12 by a priest, he has been haunted, hurt in ways that are hard to put words to. Other ways were more visible-addiction, for example.
Now, he has come a long way in his life, but his journey, in this film, becomes more tangible: a ride from Chicago to New York. The cinematography is beautiful, but watching one guy ride his bike is compelling because it’s only one element of the film.
Along the way, there will be important stops and memorable appearances by other survivors.
But the thing that was most shocking to me, and that the filmmakers surely hope will be a major takeaway, is that the laws are inconsistent and insufficient when it comes to survivors being able to sue their abusers.
Some states have had laws requiring victims to file within as little as two years of their victimization. How realistic is that for what often takes a lifetime for a CSA to come to terms with their horror, much less to tell someone else about it?
The next state over might have a different law. And shockingly (or not) many lawmakers have been reluctant to change things which will afford more reasonable circumstances for CSA’s bringing their cases before the court, if they even can.
Back when I was in the news business, we knew that the best way to tell a story about something big and unwieldy or hard to get one’s arms around is this: make the story smaller, more personal – show how the broader subject affects one person, or a small number of people as representatives of the whole.
Directors John Bernardo and Steven E. Mallorca have done an amazing job of using that template to make the story of Ohlmuller and the others seen in the film an enlightening, enraging exercise.
But the film’s potential impact is one of hope and progress. It’s eye-opening even for viewers who think they’ve seen all the films they can take on this topic.
A Peloton of One is available On-Demand and Digital from March 11th.