Before you vote, watch Vertigo...

The way that Vertigo shifts our sympathies from Detective Scottie Ferguson to Judy, his victim, convinces me that it’s as timely as ever.

Oceans of ink have been spilled in the last few weeks on subjects like sexism, misogyny, and sexual assault. Last week, when recordings revealed a presidential candidate’s boasting of sexual assault, author Kelly Oxford invited women to testify about assaults they have suffered. Many thousands responded. Meanwhile, more women accused the candidate. His response? He mocked one accuser’s physical appearance and said, “Believe me, she would not be my first choice.”

For all of our alleged progress toward gender equality, it is still alarmingly ordinary for women and girls to live in fear of unwanted advances and to struggle with the expectations of a materialistic, sex-obsessed culture. And when crowds cheer for unapologetic misogynists, abusers are empowered and the world becomes more dangerous for women.

But Vertigo is about more than a man’s sexual obsession. It’s also about the dangers of sentimentality.

Read the new installment of “Viewer Discussion Advised,” my column at Christianity Today, here.