Coercive control, a pattern of behaviour by an abuser to isolate, intimidate and control their victim, has been illegal since 2015, but can we spot it taking place? That was the premise of Is This Coercive Control?, which saw journalist Ellie Flynn bring together 20 people aged 18-30 to watch a fictional film about a couple and decide if what they saw amounted to a criminal offence.
Alarm bells rang early on in Alex and Rachael’s relationship. On his first night out meeting her friends, he got jealous when she chatted to a male colleague. Soon after, she lost her job and Alex encouraged her to move in with him rent-free. He started dictating what she wore, cutting her social ties and demanding money out of the blue, which forced her into debt. The situation got even more sinister – he smashed a plate from her hands and threatened her with violence – and the case ended in an accusation of coercive control.
The film was paused regularly for the group to discuss it, providing a depressing insight into societal misogyny – Rachael was initially branded “a drunk and a liar” by some. Still, it was gratifying to watch people engage in the highly underrated process of changing one’s mind: by the end, most were convinced that Alex was in the wrong morally, if not legally. When voting on whether he had committed a criminal offence, only 10 per cent said yes. Barrister Clare Ciborowska set them straight: his actions were illegal.
It was concerning to see how many of the group let Alex off the hook. But in highlighting the confusion that exists around what constitutes acceptable behaviour in a relationship, along with busting myths around emotional abuse, the show proved itself to be vital viewing.
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