Roxane Gay’s tells her story in Lifetime’s Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story.
The movie adapts her 2017 memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body. And the author had a role in bringing it to television. She wrote the screenplay, executive produced and narrates the film.
For viewers discovering Roxane through the movie, the book offers more context about the experiences behind it.
Published by HarperCollins in 2017, Hunger explores her relationship with food and her body, including the lasting effects of childhood sexual violence.
In a June 2017 interview with Vogue, Roxane discussed surviving an assault at 12 and turning to food as she sought a sense of protection. She also explained why her memoir did not follow a conventional weight-loss narrative.
“This is the history of my body, and I wanted to get that out there,” she said.
That personal perspective is central to understanding the book behind the adaptation. Roxane was writing about her own experience of trauma, her body and how other people treated her.
Lifetime’s synopsis introduces the film’s younger Roxane at 12, when a move with her family is followed by sexual violence that changes her life.
Hilda Martin plays young Roxane, while Sunnii E. Bartee portrays her as an adult. Asia Youngman directed the movie, with Roxane’s narration accompanying the actors’ portrayals.
Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story premieres Saturday, September 5 on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. The network lists next-day streaming, beginning Sunday, September 6, on its official movie page.
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