''When He's Not a Stranger'' is a 1989 American

Made for TV A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

directed by John Gray and starring

Annabeth Gish Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films '' Shag'', '' Hiding Out'', ''Mystic Pizza'', '' SLC Punk!'', '' The Last Supper'' and '' Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Spe ...

and

John Terlesky John Todd Terlesky (born May 30, 1961) is an American actor, film director, television director and screenwriter. As an actor, he is best known for playing Deathstalker in the 1987 film '' Deathstalker II'', and Mike in ''Chopping Mall'' (1986) ...

. The screenplay concerns a college freshman who is physically and sexually assaulted by a controlling football jock. It sums up the ordeal that

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

victims experience and the sexual assault on college campuses. A stark dramatization of the "

acquaintance rape Acquaintance rape is rape that is perpetrated by a person who knows the victim. Examples of acquaintances include someone the victim is dating, a classmate, co-worker, employer, family member, spouse, counselor, therapist, religious official, or m ...

" dilemma, it was originally to be broadcast on October 17, 1989, but pushed to November 6th of that year because of coverage surrounding the earthquakes in Northern California.

Plot

At Woodword University, a football-oriented California school, Lyn McKenna is raped by her best friend's abusive, controlling boyfriend, football player Ron Cooper. Lyn is hesitant to reveal this information as she fears that doing so will create a number of social issues and will simply worsen the aftermath of her experience. However, continued threats from Ron and his fellow football teammates lead Lyn into desperate action, and she requests that the school hold a disciplinary hearing against Ron, and ultimately demands that a district attorney prosecute.

Cast

... Lyn McKenna *

... Ron Cooper * Kevin Dillon ... Rick *

Kim Myers Kimberly S. Myers is an American television and film actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1985 horror film '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'' as Lisa Webber. She acted in another horror sequel in 1996, '' Hellraiser: Blood ...

... Melaine Fairchild *

Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to: Entertainment *Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), American actor *Stephen Elliott (author) (born 1971), American author and activist Sport *Steve Elliott (footballer, born 1958), English footballer * Steve Ellio ...

... Attorney Foster *

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''. Early life Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...

... Ben McKenna *

Micole Mercurio Micole Diana Mercurio (March 10, 1938 – January 19, 2016) was an American film and television actress and artist. Her film credits included the roles of Rosemary Szabo in ''Flashdance'' in 1983, Mrs. Kelly in '' Gleaming the Cube'' in 1989, ...

... Emily McKenna *

Allan Arbus Allan Franklin Arbus (February 15, 1918 – April 19, 2013) was an American actor and photographer. He was the former husband of photographer Diane Arbus. He is known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the CBS television series ...

... Judge Thomas J. Gray * John M. Jackson ... Woodward University Coach

External links

* * 1989 films 1989 television films 1989 crime drama films American crime drama films American television films Films scored by Mark Snow Films directed by John Gray (director) Films set in California Films set in universities and colleges Films about rape Crime films based on actual events 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Sexual assault in sports {{crime-drama-film-stub