I May Destroy You: A riveting portrayal of a survivor’s journey

Disclaimer: This is going to be a positive review that won't make true justice to the subject. There are certain stories that are deeply etched into your mind. Their thoughts and scenes are engorged on the back of your head after seeing it. The "Me Too" movement has been a revolutionary phenomenon over the calling out of predators lurking in the corridors of power everywhere - from the cabinet to board rooms to inside our own homes. A couple of years later, we are still grappling with the topic of consent, the main gap of understanding between one with a predatory instinct and their victims.

"I May Destroy You" is one of those raw dramas that will captivate, dismember, charm, anger, soothe, and forgive you. The show is centred on Arabella, a young British millennial novelist, who goes to party with her friends, waking the next morning with a smashed phone and deep cut on her forehead with the creaking noise of the door serving as the reminder of her assault the previous night, what is perhaps a breakthrough performance of the vibrancy of Black Britishness highlighting the complexities of consent in a world of social media-driven hookup cultures, immigrant atmospheres, and radicalising one's ability to empathise.

The show written, directed by and starring Michaela Coel as Arabella has pulled off an astonishing feat in the way that she takes us on the journey of self-discovery and reconciliation in a world of inescapability. It is the visual show of consent that deeply attached you to the film's strong grounded premise. Kwame, Arabella's Grindr hopping friend, gets humped without consent on a hook-up with another man. In the process, Kwame becomes traumatised and witnesses the shame inflicted on him when reporting the case. The show further elucidates the boundaries of rape that many of us living in South Asia might never know constitutes as such - removing a condom without a partner's approval during sex. Under UK law, this counts as rape. Yes, that is how important the show is. It educates you while taking you on a riveting journey.