In light of the #MeToo movement, the world heard many stories about primarily women in regard to rape and sexual misconduct, whether it was in the work place or in their everyday lives.
“The Director: a memoir” by J.K. Stein is a compilation of Stein’s journals that detail her experience with a high-profile director and her part in the #MeToo movement.
The memoir is made up of Stein’s unedited journals that detail her five-year relationship with the man formally known as “The Director.”
The reader never learns who “The Director” is, but his actions shape our imagination with the image of a man who thinks he is a god.
Through 16 parts, it details Stein’s five-year relationship with “The Director,” how they met, the promises he made and the misconduct that occurred during their relationship.
Stein’s story, though inspirational, often leaves the reader frustrated. Why does she keep going back to him even if she knows it’s wrong? I often said this to myself while reading the book.
Yet the concepts are more than just black and white, and while Stein faced sexual and emotional abuse from the director, she also faced problems within herself that led her to believe she deserved to be mistreated.
Stein was promised a large role in a film that would propel her acting career forward, and this was her motive behind her acts with “The Director.”
Throughout the memoir we see Stein’s relationship with the director progress. The relationship eventually leads to sexual objectification, and as these lewd acts develop, so does “The Director’s” control over Stein.
He makes Stein degrade herself, only to manipulate her into thinking he is helping her express her sexuality. This is a common characteristic of men in powerful, abusive positions.
We learn that during her time with “The Director,” Stein was in another abusive relationship. However, this was more personal.
This relationship was with her then-boyfriend David.
Stein’s ability to share her most personal experiences creates a sense of connection between the author and the reader. Her ability to journal in such detail puts the reader in each scene with Stein, often feeling what she feels.
We experience the hard and often dirty truth behind her #MeToo memoir, and we come to understand what many women go through. The story is hard and gritty, but must be told.
Dominique Stout can be reached at [email protected]