New film explores what Louis C.K.'s comeback says about so-called cancel culture

18:23What does Louis C.K.'s comeback say about cancel culture?

When Louis C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct by 5 women back in 2017, he admitted everything, said sorry and moved on. For the comedian, "moving" on meant turning what he did to women into his act and selling out arenas around the world. Cara Mones and Caroline Suh’s new film takes us through the rumours that had been swirling around the comedian for years, and introduces us to some of the women who came forward. It’s called Sorry / Not Sorry, and it opens at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

In 2017, Louis C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct after the release of a New York Times article that contained testimonies from a group of women. 

But, after his well-documented scandal, C.K. returned to the limelight with one of the bestselling comedy tours in recent history: Sorry. This special would go on to receive a nomination for Best Comedy Album at the 65th Grammy Awards. 

A new documentary Sorry / Not Sorry is premiering at TIFF 2023. In it, filmmakers Cara Mones and Caroline Suh explore the rumours that had been swirling around the C.K. for years and introduces us to some of the women who came forward.

Much more, the documentary asks us to think through the dynamics of so-called cancel culture as C.K. returns to the stage. 

Mones and Suh joined Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the documentary. 

Here is part of that conversation. 

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast, on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: Caroline, let me start with you. Why did you want to make this film about Louis C.K.?

Caroline: I was a big Louis C.K. fan. I watched the series and I loved the stand up, and I just thought he was brilliant and insightful. When the article came out, I was surprised because I wasn't hugely tracking comedy and the rumours. 

Then my initial reaction was, "Is it that bad that he should disappear?" to be totally honest. But I knew that that was not necessarily the right way of looking at it. 

So I started to reach out to people, the women in the story, Noam Dworman, owner of the Comedy Cellar. Noam did a podcast asking a lot of questions like, "What are we supposed to do with these people? Who are the arbiters of when someone can come back? And shouldn't we allow people to come back?" 

I became kind of obsessed with trying to get my head around the issues. I just really wanted a helpful way of navigating through the story as a fan.

Elamin: Cara, of all the high profile men accused of sexual misconduct, Louis C.K. seems to stand apart. What do you think makes him different? 

Cara: I think because he admitted to it. I think that that's one huge part of this that felt very unusual at that time, where there is a pattern and still is a pattern of denying, denying, denying. 

Elamin: The case that you build in the documentary is that actually people have known about this for a really long time and they've just been like, "This is not my problem."

What do you make of the idea that people turned a blind eye to this?

Caroline: I think that issue is something that is relatable to everyone. It makes you really think about what you have done in situations like that? What should you have done? Would you really have acted differently if you heard a rumour about someone who you are friends with that's unverified? 

In a way the heart of the film is turning the question on to the audience to get people thinking about the ways in which we can all do better or act differently. 

Elamin: Suddenly the New York Times publishes a piece and then there's a turn. What made that surprising in terms of how the New York Times publishing the story pushed it to the next level? 

So when the New York Times published their article and had so many names, it kind of forced the conversation. It was a very unique time with the story about Harvey Weinstein just coming out. There was a lot of momentum in that moment. 

Elamin: Caroline, when that moment happened did something shift for you in terms of how you treated the story?

Caroline: My thinking really evolved over time exploring the story. I found that really I had to really question my own very basic beliefs about things. I think it's easy just to fixate on Louis and what happened to him — is he coming back or is he not? 

But then there are some other questions like, what happened to the women? How do you really think about their careers in the midst of this? It's hard to focus on something that never was allowed to happen. 

For filmmaker interviews, in-depth discussions and what to watch at this year's festival, check out the full slate of TIFF 2023 coverage from Q with Tom Power, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud and CBC Arts.

WATCH | Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Cara Mones and Caroline Suh produced by Jessica Low.