Years of trauma unravel across two nights in the new Freeform documentary series Keep This Between Us. Produced by Vox Media Studios, this four-part series showcases how three women have dealt with their high school abusers, two of which have decades of hindsight and one of whom is still in a legal battle against her abuser. It won’t be an easy watch, but the stories these women have to tell is important.
(Freeform)
Cheryl Nichols is a documentary filmmaker ready to process the trauma of her past. She’s not only an executive producer on the project, but Keep This Between Us also focuses on her. Featuring interviews from her friends, family, and former teachers, the series slowly reveals the sexual abuse she endured in high school at the hands of one of her teachers. And it exposes the hierarchy in place that not only allowed it to happen, but treated victims like it’s their fault.
The other two women whose stories are told have handled their own abusers differently. Alisson Wood is an award-winning author and teacher who put her pain into the memoir Being Lolita. Heaven Rubin is the most recent victim highlighted, whose legal battle to get criminal charges filed against her abuser are still in process (the premiere episode features an abundance of legalese notices that this is an ongoing case). Their stories help paint a picture of a system designed to protect predatory teachers and punish innocent students.
Psychological experts weigh in on the practice of grooming (“manipulative and coercive behavior by abusers to gain access to potential victims”) and education seems to be the show’s primary goal. Conversations include a need to not only teach students about consent, but also to teach parents and teachers how to spot signs that a child may be feeling trapped in a situation like this.
Narratively, Keep This Between Us tries to recreate a similar sense of confusion for the audience. It’s good that Freeform will air the series with back-to-back episodes across two nights because the show thrives in the fact that things aren’t always what they seem. You really need to see the full story in order to understand everything, leaving viewers hungry for more every episode.
Each episode of Keep This Between Us ends with contact information for the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline.
Keep This Between Us premieres Monday, August 29th, at 8/8c and Tuesday, August 30th, at 9/8c. Episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the day after air, with the entire series streaming September 1st.