AMBER HEARD -JOHNNY DEPP- ANGUISHES : FILM ESSAY ABSURDITY

'HOT TAKE' features former couple's split, courtroom drama : Hot Take, a film based on Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's controversial trial, was released last Friday.

In April, the former couple went head-to-head due to a defamation lawsuit Depp filed against his ex-wife for 'falsely accusing him of spousal abuse'. Drawing inspiration from true events, the film highlights courtroom appearances and their former relationship.

In addition to Mark Hapka as Depp and Megan Davis as Heard, the cast also features Melissa Marty as Camille Vasquez, Depp's attorney. Executive producers of the film include Brittany Clemons, Angle Day, Marianne C Wunch, Hannah Pillemar, and Fernando Szew. Guy Nicolucci wrote the screenplay and Sara Lohman directed it.

''Hot Take : The Depp / Heard Trial is a Tubi original movie based on the controversial defamation trial that shook the world,'' reads the caption. Released on September 30, the film's trailer appears to have failed miserably at receiving a warm welcome from Twitter critics.

That isn't surprising given that Depp and Heard's fans had kept a keen eye on the infamous trial.

'' What was the need? '' exclaimed a disgruntled Twitter user. And really, what was the need? For the fans, there were only two sides to the case. A side that supported Heard because they believed that she had faced domestic violence and a side that believed that Depp was wrongly accused. 

A third side believed in the grey. To them, it wasn't as black and white as it was made to appear.

Everybody who followed the case had an opinion on it - a rather strong one indeed. The case had sparked a social media debate over how the trial itself was distressing, to say the least. The longevity of the conflict between the two parties [ dating back to 2016 ] only added to its anguish and absurdity.

It was a trial that tiptoed on the blurred lines that made people question their ideas about assault and consent. It was a trial that triggered people because of their personal experiences. A trial that ruffled  feathers; why would anyone want to relive it?

NOW, that a film has been made about it and is ready for release, prompts a few more questions about the trial itself. Whilst many celebrated that the trial was finally over and the jury ruled Depp victorious, many also believed that it only strengthened the status quo.

Regardless of who believes what, it won't be entirely wrong to assert that the film may have arrived sooner than it should have - only to tub salts on wound that are still fresh.

Hot Take follows the sour relationship between Depp and Heard, unravelling the two-months defamation trial that concluded on June 1, with the jury announcing its verdict in Depp's favor and finding that Heard had defamed him by alluding to domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 op-ed piece.

The jury also held Depp liable for a defamatory statement made about Heard by his lawyer.

The movie was fast-tracked into production by Tubi and MarVista Entertainment ''to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer,'' Adam Lewinson, Tubi's chief content officer, said in a statement.

The World Students Society thanks author News Desk, The Express Tribune.