Keira Knightley Beaten In Domestic Violence Ad (VIDEO)

Keira Knightley reteamed with her "Atonement" and "Pride & Prejudice" director Joe Wright, this time for an ad.

The actress filmed a spot about the dangers of domestic violence, in which she gets beaten by a fictional boyfriend who believes she is having an affair.

The ad, seen below, begins with Knightley leaving a film set and arriving home to find her angry accusatory man. She then gets brutally attacked.

Keira said: 'I wanted to take part in this advert for Women's Aid because while domestic violence exists in every section of society we rarely hear about it."

The ad debuts on April 6 in the UK.


WATCH:

Comments

[Artos]

I don't believe in violence toward anyone, but I also don't believe in lying down and dying either. A human being has the right to defend themselves whether that be against a man or a woman. While a man should never strike a woman, neither should a woman do so with the feeling that her fist or hand can't possibly do much damage to a man. If a woman takes it upon herself to do so with impunity then she should be prepared for the result. Equality is equality. I was married my first time to a woman who came from a redneck family,and their solution to everything was violence. Once She battered my back with her fists while I was walking away from her, I turned around and I slapped her on the cheek once and only once. She got a wake up call. I don't believe in hitting women but I will not allow a woman to think that she can punch me in the back several times and that their isn't some kind of reciprocity involved. I look back on that marriage as a watershed event in my life. It made me realize that when you marry you should never act in haste because you will repent in leisure as the old saying goes.

[applecider10]

This is the reason many girls my age--teena­gers--acti­vely look up to Keira Knightley. On blogging and networking sites for the 18-35 ageset you see her face everywhere in user generated content. She's well read, she can act, she chooses difficult and progressive roles, she's well spoken, and is not shy about acknowledging that her body is often the site of both displaced social bias and sexism and a sometimes useful, sometimes problematic object in the ongoing and vital discussion about women's bodies, self image, and the manipulation of both. I admire her quite a bit and this ad is just the latest reason why.

[dagdavid]

Message totally lost with the appearance of Keira Knightley.

[hypnus]

Most messages are totally lost on men who are predisposed to beat women, except jail. That message gets through pretty well. Maybe by identifying with a celebrity of Knightley’s caliber in the ad will help those women who may feel ashamed or fearful to come forward and confront their situation. Even if the ad saves just one woman I say Kira has done her job.

[dagdavid]

Who is going to identify with Knightley? Seriously, think about what you're saying. Was she beaten? No. She is playing a role. Acting. It is offensive to anyone who has truly suffered abuse. Offensive, insensitive and off mark. There are REAL victims out there.

[sepiasiren]

To the men who are adopting an adversarial us against them attitude when it comes to domestic violence--why is this a competition? I have more scars so screw women, is that it? How about, instead of polarizing the issue and making it an us against them, men who wish to get the word out about female on male domestic violence join forces with women who are bringing awareness about domestic violence and get the word out TOGETHER.

Domestic violence is a horrid horrible situation no matter the perp, in fact, I knew a girl who beat her man in front of me and I called the cops--but the poor man did not press charges which was necessary at the time.

No I do not think all men are evil, but the ones who beat women are--just as women who beat men are, but not all women fall into the abuser category either.

Join forces and stop trying to play the tit for tat game--it will get us all no where!

[S Cooper]

Well said. I personally know two men who have been the victims of female-on-male domestic violence. Then there is f-on-f and m-on-m domestic violence in gay relationships. The answer is not to pit men against women - it's to support each other in making ALL domestic violence unacceptable.

[ifihadahammer]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/02/keira-knightley-domestic-violence-ad

[DeadHorse]

too bad it was pulled

[shoefly]

My Grandfather always told me you fight a woman with your hat. You put it on your head and leave. You can always talk when the anger has passed.

[GeeBee]

Your grandfather was a real man. Not like these simpering wussies who beat women.

[Glencora]

Right now, in the United States, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is murder. While female on male violence is deplorable (and illegal), show me matching category of men who are being decimated in this way by women. When women hit men, men suffer. When men hit women, women die.

[jojojo]

Here's some info to respond to your request:

37% of domestic violence calls are placed by men being attacked by women.

http://www.batteredmen.com/index.htm

Articles from NY Times, etc on this topic.

[TheBlackCat]

While the subject of battered men is completely undiscussed and NEEDS more attention, let's keep things in perspective here:

INCLUDING ALL AGE GROUPS AND ETHNICITIES:

84% of spousal abuse is male on female
86% of dating abuse is male on female

3.7% of men killed are killed by their intimate partner

vs

one third of women killed are killed by their intimate partners

Men commit over 7 times the number of violent acts as women commit (including ALL violent crime).

Between 1993-97, for example:

Men committed 91% of all murders

98% of all sexual assaults

93% of all armed robbery

89% of all aggravated assaults

82% of simple assault

http://social.jrank.org/pages/1253/Violent-Crime-Gender-Differences-in-Violent-Crime-Offenders.html


I'm not trying to bash men. Most of them DON'T beat their wives or commit violent crimes.

But it makes me a little upset when people like you try and make it seem like female violence is somehow comparable to male violence.

[NWReader]

Calls placed versus criminals convicted? My female friend was arrested for domestic violence when her husband called the police - she touched him, trying to prevent him from phoning his girlfriend during a fight. Battered man? Not exactly. He was molesting her daughter from her previous marriage. (They're since divorced and both have moved on.)

[sepiasiren]

thank you!

[WinterParkMom]

Great message of the ad, however knightley is the wrong person to do it, as she seems to only have one expression: smouldering sexuality. Just the picture above without looking at the clip makes me think she's in ecstasy rather than in fear for her life.

[llstudent]

Yes there is some abuse by women towards men but it is a known fact that there is more violence of men towards women because quess what most men are stronger physically than women--duh!

[bazokbros]

It's a good ad. I think it would have been more effective if their wasn't a lead up to the violence with the broken mirror and blood drips leading to her abuser. The violence coming from no where and then trying to call "cut" could have been more effective.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Great ad! Send it to Rhianna! See what Hollywood can do - step up and make a different to their own. Bravo!

[BoVandy]

difference

[oneviciouslife]

Wow, what a powerful ad.

[TheBlackCat]

Rather that should read:

Seven claims that women are more likely to sexually abuse children than men?

Do you think that the rest of us don't have access to google or something? Or you know, common knowledge for that matter.

[TheBlackCat]

Seven claims that women are more likely to sexually abuse women than men?

Do you think that the rest of us don't have access to google or something? Or you know, common knowledge for that matter.