Under Lock and Key

Under Lock and Key is the single-channel version of an installation that premiered at the Wexner Center for the Arts in 1993. Using the "talking head" confessional as a stylistic device, B creates a social and psychological narrative wherein the act of speaking becomes therapeutic affirmation. B asked individuals who had suffered domestic violence to compose and read letters to those who had abused them. Their stories, addressed to their abusers and spoken directly to the camera, are intercut with comments by serial killer Ted Bundy and quotes from convicted murderer Jack Henry Abbott's prison memoir, In the Belly of the Beast.

Directed by Beth B, Under Lock and Key leans on a strong ensemble — Philip Horvitz, Nan Goldin, Tomas Gaspar — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1994.