Brave

Rose McGowan has been fighting oppressive forces most of her life. She was raised in a cult named “The Children of God,” living with her family in Italy and enduring maltreatment and malnourishment. Her father balked at the pedophilic practices endorsed by the leader and moved his new wife and children. Rose’s nomadic and wayward youth was highlighted by bare-bones living, scrimping for money, and residency with different family members. Rose would emancipate herself as she embarked on a Hollywood career. Her career would be on the rise, even though her personal life hit speed bumps marked with abuse and trauma. Her film roles would get bigger as the 1990s went on, from The Doom Generation to Scream to Phantoms. Life was going relatively well, until Rose met the “monster” in the guise of Harvey Weinstein. The violent encounter with the powerful studio head would leave Rose scarred, and her refusal to be a silent victim led to her being blacklisted for a number of years. Twenty years after the fact, with a reckoning hitting Hollywood, McGowan is being heard.

Brave is a deep and poignant autobiography of a woman who refused to submit to the dominance of male Hollywood culture. McGowan hits hard at the predators in the industry and holds the enablers responsible as well. Her story is moving, harrowing, and definitely brave.