Switzerland’s sex crime laws are notoriously lackluster when it comes to properly protecting women from rape and sexual assault. Actually, if a woman doesn’t actively fight back during an attack – be it because she’s in shock or otherwise physically unable to do so – the law doesn’t recognize it as rape or assault at all. This doesn’t just stand in stark contrast to most other European countries but is also just shameful for Switzerland as a whole.

Leading up to a political debate about the sex crime laws in the Swiss parliament, the center for women gave us the brief to raise hell about this unacceptable situation – with the clear goal of gathering support both from politicians as well as a wider audience for a change of the law.

In the film, we see three young men of various European origins remembering events that happened in the past. The more they talk, the clearer it gets: they are talking about times when they sexually assaulted women – a colleague, a spouse or a casual flirt. They all rationalize their behavior and – as the film comes to a close – the viewer finally realizes that the three men are actually in prison. Now, while they express their remorse, it is only the remorse of not having done their evil deeds in Switzerland – because there, they wouldn’t be in prison due to the country’s weak sex crime laws.

By actually letting rapists and attackers speak, our film didn’t miss its goal of shocking our audience. The excuses and rationalizations given by our protagonists led to a widely held public discussion about women’s rights and protections in general. And while no official metrics about engagement or brand perception were measured, the fact that the Swiss parliament changed the law in the 2023 spring session is a strong testament of the campaign’s effectiveness.