Innocence and Consequences of Abuse

¶ … innocence and consequences of abuse in Primal Fear

Primal Fear is the 1996 directed by Gregory Hoblit that deals with issues of homicide, sexual abuse, mental illness, and the American justice system. Primal Fear stars Richard Gere as Martin Vail, an attorney semi-obsessed with image in the media, and Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler, a choirboy accused of murdering a Catholic archbishop. In Primal Fear, Stampler, a victim of the Catholic archbishop's sexual child abuse, is put on trial for the archbishop's murder. The film seeks to uncover the motive behind Stampler's behavior and actions and uncovers the heinous sexual deviances that were committed by the archbishop.

Initially, the motives behind Stampler's behavior and actions are not revealed, rather the focus of the investigation is centered around the possibility of a third unidentified perpetrator. Regardless of how self-centered and arrogant Vail may appear, he truly believes in the justice system. Vail states that he is not interested in the money, though it is nice, and he is not interested in the fame, though he does like to see his name in the media. Vail's motivation is that he genuinely believes in the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty, and that he chooses to believe in the "basic goodness of people" (Hoblit). Furthermore, Vail states that "not all crimes are committed by bad people" and that he tries "to understand that some very good people do some very bad things" (Hoblit). This belief encourages Vail to try and prove Stampler's innocence in the murder of the archbishop. During the course of the trial, Vail uncovers secrets about the archbishop that provide a motive for Stampler's actions.

Stampler is initially introduced as a member of the church choir singing at a benefit that Vail attends. He is later shown fleeing the scene of the crime, running away from the police. Aaron Stampler is depicted as a quiet and shy man, whose stutter seems to enhance his image of innocence. Furthermore, Stampler alleges that he is prone to blackouts and does not remember events that occur when he "loses time." Stampler claims to have been taken in by the archbishop off the streets and given a place to stay. Moreover, Stampler claims to have been a favored by the archbishop who has allowed him to stay within the group home he was taken into beyond his 18th birthday. Overall, Stampler's demeanor and behavior help to convince Vail that he is truly innocent.

During the course of preparation for the trial, Vail enlists the aid of Molly Arrington to help assess the mental stability and condition of Stampler. Arrington utilizes a video camera to record the conversations she has with Stampler. During the course of her interviews, it is revealed that his father had abused Stampler and that he had once had a relationship with a girl named Lucy. Though the interviews do not appear to provide any new information about Stampler, Arrington is able to bring Aaron's alter ego, Roy, to light. Arrington blames herself for not being able to detect the classic signs of multiple personality disorder before, and possibly change the outcome of the trial before a plea had been entered. Because Vail has already entered a plea of not guilty, he cannot alter his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, and is forced to work with the situation at hand.

Roy, unlike Aaron, is violent, outspoken and bold. He berates Aaron and ridicules his weaknesses. Roy is willing to take matters into his own hands and stand up against the archbishop for what he has done. Roy also admits to killing the archbishop, a task that Aaron could not bring himself to do. Roy seems to appear when Aaron is stressed and acts independently from Aaron. Aaron is unable to recall events that occur when Roy takes over his persona. It is believed by Arrington that Roy manifested as a coping mechanism to deal with the abuse he encountered from his father and from the archbishop. While it appears that Aaron has a conscience, Roy is depicted as being a sociopath.

After the emergence of Roy, Vail looks further into the archbishop's past and discovers, among other things, that the archbishop had been sexually abusing choirboys. The allegation of abuse within the church is not meant to tarnish the institution, rather point out the archbishop's faults and provide a motive for Stampler. It is unclear how many children the archbishop had sexually abused or how long the abuse has been taking place. Primal Fear does not further investigate the role of the church in sexual abuse cases, nor does it take a stance on the matter. It is not revealed if sexual abuse is a problem within the church, rather the notion is presented as a crime that is singularly committed by the murdered archbishop. The video uncovered by Vail is also indicative of the archbishop's disregard for the tenants of the Catholic Church regarding sex. Not only does the archbishop sexually abuse choirboys, he also takes advantage of Lucy, a girl that works for him.

By analyzing the video, there are several sexual deviant behaviors that can be identified. The archbishop is shown to exhibit characteristics of paraphilia. In males, paraphilias are a group of "persistent sexual behavior patterns in which unusual objects, fetishes, rituals, or situations are required for full sexual satisfaction" (Arrigo, 105). In the video, there are several factors that allow the archbishop to achieve sexual gratification. Though the archbishop is not shown to physically interact with his victims, he does force them to interact with each other. The victims, Stampler, Alex, and Lucy, are shown to perform sexual acts on each other. Their actions are possibly motivated by fear; it is insinuated that the church provides shelter to them so that they are not forced to live on the streets. The archbishop's paraphilia includes videotaping himself giving a sermon after which he directs the Stampler, Alex, and Lucy to perform sexual acts as a group. The archbishop is then able to achieve sexual gratification by exerting his power over the group. Though he does not physically interact with the underage participants in his sexual fantasy, he encourages their behavior. Furthermore, the archbishop is participating and encouraging child pornography. If the archbishop has been recording Stampler and others' sexual behaviors for at least three years, Stampler would theoretically been underage when he was forced to perform sexual acts before the archbishop. It is also unknown how may, if any, more videos depicting the sexual abuse are in the archbishops possession. It is insinuated that the abuse that Stampler endured under the "guidance" of the archbishop further traumatized him as he also suffered undisclosed abuse while in the care of his father.

Stampler's willingness to perform sexual acts before the archbishop may stem from past abuse at the hands of his father. It is not explicitly detailed the extent to which Stampler was abused at the hands of his father. It is alleged that Stampler developed an alternate personality to cope with the abuse that he incurred from his father. It can also be assumed that any violent behavior towards others who abuse Stampler may be triggered by abuse.

The relationship that Stampler has with Lucy is also revealed to be complex. Prior to the discovery of the illicit video, it is revealed that Stampler had a relationship with Lucy and that they were allegedly committed to each other. Though Stampler reveals to Dr. Arrington that he has engaged in a sexual relationship with Lucy, he is unwilling to share further information on the matter. Dr. Arrington is finally able to get Stampler to reveal that though they had an active sexual relationship, he was monogamous and implied that Lucy was not. The video later reveals what he meant. It is also implied that though the two choirboys in the film had sexual relations with Lucy, they did not engage in sexual activity with each other. At the end of Primal Fear, Stampler reveals that he murdered Lucy, possibly in a jealous rage because he did not want her to engage in sexual activities with other men, regardless if she was forced to or not. His possessive and sociopathic personality did not allow him to see that she was a pawn in the archbishop's sexual game, but rather he felt that she was a promiscuous person and must therefore be punished.