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Roll Red Roll is a 2018 documentary that explores the now-infamous Steubenville high school rape case that rocked the small Ohio town and garnered global attention. The film, directed by Nancy Schwartzman, uses interviews, social media posts, and police footage to reconstruct the events surrounding the case and to paint a vivid picture of a community grappling with the traumatic aftermath of the crime.

The film's title comes from a disturbing social media post made by a Steubenville resident in the days following the rape: "The only thing that bothers me is that my sweet, sweet Caroline wouldn't spit in their faces or slit their throats. Roll red roll." The post, which refers to the high school's football team, underscores the toxic masculinity and rape culture that pervades not just Steubenville but American society as a whole.

At the center of the story are the two teenage boys, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, who were arrested and charged with raping a 16-year-old girl at a party in August 2012. The film follows their trial and the public outcry that ensued, as well as the efforts of local activists and journalists to shed light on the case and hold the perpetrators accountable.

One of the film's most powerful elements is its use of social media posts and texts exchanged between the perpetrators and their friends in the hours and days after the rape. These messages paint a stark picture of the pervasive misogyny and callousness that surrounded the crime, as well as the complicity of those who witnessed it or knew about it but failed to intervene.

The film also highlights the heroism of the victim, known as Jane Doe, who bravely came forward to report the rape and endured a grueling cross-examination at trial. Her story, told through interviews with her family and friends, serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating toll of sexual violence and the importance of supporting survivors.

Throughout the film, Schwartzman skillfully weaves together the testimonies of key players in the case, from the victim and her family to the police investigators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. She also includes interviews with local residents, many of whom were firmly convinced of the boys' innocence and resentful of the national media attention the case received.

As the film progresses, however, it becomes increasingly clear that the real villains of the story are not the outsiders who descended on Steubenville to cover the case but the football players and their enablers who created a toxic culture of entitlement and impunity. Roll Red Roll is a harrowing reminder of the dangers of toxic masculinity and the urgent need for cultural change around issues of gender-based violence.

In spite of its grim subject matter, the film is also a powerful testament to the power of journalism and activism to effect social change. Thanks to the tireless efforts of local activists and journalists like the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Rachel Dissell, who appears in the film, the Steubenville case forced a national conversation about sexual assault and consent, and inspired new laws to protect victims of cyberbullying and revenge porn.

Overall, Roll Red Roll is a gripping and thought-provoking documentary that offers a searing critique of American rape culture and the pervasive ways in which gender-based violence is normalized and enabled. The stories of Jane Doe, her family, and the many people who fought for justice in this case serve as a reminder of the urgency of confronting these issues head-on, and the vital role that each of us can play in creating a safer, more just world.

Roll Red Roll is a 2018 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 20 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1 and a MetaScore of 83.