This post includes discussion of domestic abuse.
In 2022, a jury in Fairfax, Va. decided that Amber Heard had libeled actor and ex-husband Johnny Depp after writing an op-ed about being a victim of domestic abuse — despite not mentioning Johnny by name in the op-ed itself.
The ruling came four years after Johnny sued British tabloid The Sun for libel after he was referred to as an alleged “wife-beater” in the publication. After court proceedings — during which Amber alleged that Johnny physically abused her 14 times during their relationship — he ultimately lost the lawsuit against The Sun.
After the 2022 legal judgment, Amber issued a since-deleted statement on Twitter saying that she was “heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback.”
This past weekend, a new documentary Silenced premiered at the currently-ongoing Sundance Film Festival. The film’s logline says that it examines “the weaponization of defamation laws to silence survivors,” including Amber’s legal battle with Johnny.
According to Variety, the film features an appearance from Amber herself, who issues some rare remarks regarding the trial and the resulting fallout it had on her life.
“This is not about me,” she says in the film, while in conversation with filmmaker Selina Miles. “I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell my story. In fact, I don’t want to use my voice anymore. That’s the problem.”
“The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial,” she adds, before detailing how she worked with human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, who is a subject of the documentary. “When I first met [Robinson], I immediately got the sense that she got the bigger picture. What has happened to me is an amplified version of what a lot of women live through.”
“I remember at the close of the trial, the idea that I could say something to the press came up. [Robinson] asked if I was sure about that. [I thought], ‘If they throw things at me, it will make this point more obvious.’ I didn’t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice.”
“It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight,” she added. “Women brave enough to address the imbalance of power. Looking at my daughter’s face as she grows up and slowly starts to walk into this world…I believe it can be better.”
You can read more about the documentary here.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.