Since 2017, it’s been “a very scary time” for men, who can supposedly lose everything or even go to jail for so much as winking at a woman, as our former president and many a male comedian have suggested for years now. Flash forward to the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, which kicked off on May 14 and runs until Saturday, where two male stars—Shia LaBeouf and James Franco—were welcomed back with open arms, despite a history of pretty disturbing abuse allegations against them. LaBeouf was there to promote his forthcoming, highly anticipated film Megalopolis (directed by Francis Ford Coppola, more on him in a few), while Franco was promoting his action thriller, The Razor's Edge. LaBeouf's film received a 10-minute standing ovation; he and Franco were both dressed by Armani for their red carpet and afterparty appearances. In 2020, LaBeouf’s ex, singer FKA Twigs, sued him for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress; she went on to detail the disturbing, alleged acts of violence at length in a 2021 interview with Elle. As for Franco, since 2014, he’s faced a range of allegations including that he preyed on an underage girl and sexually exploited young women in his acting classes. It's also worth noting that this year, the Cannes Film Festival comes at an inflection point for the MeToo movement in France. French actress Judith Godrèche, who was one of the first actresses to go on the record about being raped by Harvey Weinstein in 1996, premiered her 17-minute short film “Moi Aussi” (“Me Too”). The short follows Godrèche's recent allegations about the abuse she suffered from two French filmmakers decades ago when she was a teen. This prompted other women to come forward, and the French culture minister to condemn sexual misconduct in the country's entertainment industry. So—for no particular reason—as we’re subjected to celebratory social media posts marking the return of LaBeouf and Franco to a red carpet for the first time in years, I thought it might be helpful to revisit women’s accounts of mistreatment at their hands. In Twigs’ 2021 conversation with Elle, she told the outlet of her relationship with LaBeouf between 2018 and 2019, “It's a miracle I came out alive.” Twigs said she faced physical, verbal, and emotional abuse from the actor, who she felt pressured to forgive because of his struggles with alcoholism. LaBeouf’s alleged abuse reached a fever pitch when they went on a trip for Valentine’s Day, where Twigs says she woke up to LaBeouf on top of her, squeezing her arms, and trying to strangle her; the following day, she says LaBeouf pushed her to the ground outside their hotel room. When they got in his car, Twigs alleges that LaBeouf purposefully, recklessly drove, demanding that she affirm her love for him and threatening both of their lives. Per Elle: As he swerved into traffic at an alarming speed, with cars beeping around them, Twigs recalls bracing for the impact of the imminent crash. “I was thinking to myself, ‘I wonder what would happen to my body...if [we] smashed into a wall at 80 miles per hour?’ I was looking for the airbag and I couldn’t see the airbag sign, so I was thinking, ‘If he doesn’t have an airbag, will this car crush my sternum?’ ” When LaBeouf pulled over at a gas station, Twigs said she tried to escape but LaBeouf slammed her against the car and once again tried to strangle her before throwing her back in the vehicle. Over the course of their relationship, Twigs alleged that LaBeouf emotionally manipulated her via aggressive lovebombing early…
