Educational Media Reviews Online

Mishal Mahmud’s award-winning documentary short, Breach of Trust, shines a disturbing light on the University of Southern California’s (USC) failure to take action against their student health center’s now-former gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. Mahmud, a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a master’s in Film and Television Production, compellingly highlights stories of sexual assault committed against women for decades by Tyndall.

The film opens with the voice of Oprah Winfrey speaking about the importance of truth to USC’s graduates on commencement day. She says, “The truth exonerates, and it convicts... The truth has always been, and always will be, our shield against corruption.” On that same day, USC administrators scheduled a meeting with investigative reporters from the LA Times, Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan, which delayed the story past commencement. The contradiction between Winfrey’s words and USC’s attempt to conceal Tyndall’s actions is a powerful opening statement for the film. The investigative reporters eventually broke the story, ultimately winning a Pulitzer Prize. Mahmud interviews Hamilton, who provides an in-depth look at the actions of USC’s administrators throughout the documentary.

One of the most compelling aspects of this film is the interviews. Women of all ages share their harrowing experiences, which proves to be a powerful call for accountability and institutional change. In exposing the USC administration’s cover-up efforts, this film explores the avariciousness of university leaders who prioritize fund-raising over the care and safety of their students. Cindy Gilbert, a former Nursing Supervisor of the student health center, reported Tyndall to the campus rape crisis center in 2017. Undoubtedly courageous for her role in speaking up about Tyndall, she faced considerable backlash and ultimately resigned due to the hostile work environment. Gilbert’s testimony helps bridge the two arcs of the film, Tyndall’s history of abuse and USC’s dismissal of complaints against Tyndall and the subsequent cover-up.

Breach of Trust offers important insight into the all-to-common occurrence of predatory behavior on college and university campuses. Due to its short runtime of 24 minutes, this film is suitable for use in the classroom to encourage discussion on a wide range of difficult topics. From social issues, women’s studies, higher education leadership, bioethics, journalism, film studies, and others, many disciplines could benefit from access to this film. More generally, it could also serve as a tool for raising student awareness of abusive situations as they navigate their own institutions.

Awards:
Shortlist, BAFTA Student Awards; Best Documentary, First Look, USC; Short of the Week, July 2020; Best Student Documentary, Impact Doc Awards

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