TIFF 2023 | A new documentary revisits the Louis CK scandal, 6 years later

Louis CK came to the Toronto International Film Festival six years ago with the much-anticipated “I Love You, Daddy,” as allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian gained new prominence.

The film sold at TIFF for $5 million, but before it could reach theaters, its premiere was canceled and its release canceled. After years of rumours, a New York Times article in November of that year included the allegations of several women who described incidents in which CK masturbated in front of female colleagues.

Now, a new documentary premiering in Toronto, where CK’s downfall began, delves into one of the most talked-about #MeToo cases. “Sorry/Not Sorry,” directed by Caroline Suh and Cara Mones and produced by the Times, examines the allegations, the consequences for those who came forward and CK’s return to comedy.

“In the early years, the advice I was given was: Don’t make this movie,” says Sue, who directed the Barack Obama-narrated documentary series Working: What We Do All Day.

Suh, herself, was a big fan of Louis CK and didn’t immediately register the allegations against the comedian as damning — especially compared to other #MeToo cases like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby.

“Honestly, my first reaction was: Is it that bad?” Sue recalls.

“Sorry/Not Sorry,” which was acquired by Greenwich Entertainment for distribution after its TIFF premiere, revisits the scandal and its aftermath, particularly in light of CK’s flourishing comeback. The comic, who acknowledged that “these stories are true” in his 2017 apology, won a Grammy for best comedy album last year and sold out Madison Square Garden in January.

To Mones, it seemed that many people seemed reluctant to talk about the thorny issues of consent and power when it came to CK — and that was a good reason to make the film.

“This was living in a gray area for so many people. That was unusual among all the stories that were starting to come out,” says Mones. “There are many questions to investigate.”

The filmmakers were particularly keen to detail the experience of the women who went public with their encounters with K.K. Some found it difficult to succeed in comedy afterwards or were mobbed online by his supporters. Comedian Abby Schachner, who notes that CK didn’t ask permission before masturbating while talking to her on the phone in 2003, talks about her fears of being publicly defined by the scandal.

“There were questions to be asked and perspectives. And those perspectives are really about the women who came forward,” says producer Kathleen Lingo. “What happens when a woman tells the truth? What’s wrong with her?’

There are several notable people from the comedy world interviewed in the film, including comedian Jen Kirkman, who first mentioned some of CK’s behavior on a podcast in 2015. Comedian Megan Koester, the co-creator of “Parks and ” Recreation” Michael Schur and Noam Dworman, owner of New York’s Comedy Cellar, also appear in the film.

But it’s also notable who isn’t in the film. Louis CK was not interviewed and did not respond to the filmmakers’ requests for comment. And the filmmakers say nearly every prominent comic they approached didn’t want to be interviewed.

At the same time, CK has returned to stand-up and often performed material about the scandal. In his 2020 special “Sincerely Louis CK,” he began by asking the crowd about their last few years. “Anyone else having global problems?” he said.

Later in the special, he addressed the incidents of misconduct more specifically.

“If you want to do it with someone else, you have to ask first,” said K.K. and charge ahead. You have to check in often, I guess that’s what I’d say. It’s not always clear how people feel.”

Whether such comments were enough to constitute atonement is one of the central questions of Apology/Not Apology.

“Our intention was to make a film that was very fact-based,” says Suh. “We don’t want to speculate: Why did he do this? Just presenting the facts can be helpful.”

“Sorry/Not Sorry,” which is expected to be released next year, comes after a series of setbacks for the #MeToo movement. The filmmakers hope to refocus the conversation.

“It seems like every time there’s a news event, it’s like, ‘#MeToo is failing’ or ‘#MeToo is succeeding,'” says Lingo. “It’s been six years, and I think it’s an incredibly groundbreaking movement. We’re still in the middle of it.” .