Gwen van de Pas returns to her hometown in search of answers about the man who sexually abused her as a child.
Many years after being sexually abused by her assistant swim coach, recurring nightmares and panic attacks lead Director Gwen van de Pas to confront her painful past. This intimate documentary goes deep into the mental manipulation technique called grooming, in which a sex predator establishes friendship and trust to build a tight bond with the victim first which allows them to get away with one of the most unforgivable crimes. Trying to understand a past she cannot escape, Gwen meets with psychologists who help her dismantle the process of how sexual abuse begins.
She even interviews a convicted sex offender who assaulted his own granddaughter for years and he shares shocking details of how he was able to carefully groom with trust and easily continue his sick, twisted behavior. With the courage to publicly speak about her past, she encourages other survivors to come forward and share heartbreaking stories of their own abuse. After the difficult decision to report her crime, you witness Gwen’s slow transition from someone with tremendous fear to someone who ultimately gains her power back.
This film is so disturbing and profound I think everyone should see it and open up conversations about sexual abuse unveiling the one crime often referred to as the dirty little secret.
“Groomed” will stream exclusively on Discovery+ March 18th
