A Sofa, Two Women, a Photo – and the Shadow That Remains

The latest release from the holdings of US justice authorities brings to light a constellation that stands out less for new allegations than for its simplicity. A sofa, two young women, Jeffrey Epstein beside them – and on the right edge Brett Ratner, director of the recently released film about Melania Trump. The photos come from the current file package of the Department of Justice. The faces of the two women are blacked out, their identities unclear. Ratner sits relaxed, his arms around one of the women, smiling. Epstein sits next to him. In another image, both smile into the camera.

The context of these images is known, but never neutral. The justice authorities release them as part of a broad but incomplete body of files documenting Epstein’s social environment. There are no indictments, no verdicts, no evidence of specific acts. Too much information is withheld, the context is virtually nonexistent. They are snapshots. That is precisely where their explosive force lies. Because they anchor names, careers, and power in a space that, in hindsight, can no longer be viewed as innocent. For Ratner, the appearance of the photos is more than a minor incident. The director, who became famous with blockbusters, has released his first major project since the sexual misconduct allegations of 2017 with Melania. Several women accused him at the time. Ratner denied the allegations but withdrew from the industry for years. The film about the First Lady marked his return – financially successful, critically panned. Amazon paid a high double digit million dollar sum for the worldwide licensing rights, accompanied by a massive marketing push.

The new photos now once again connect this return to Epstein’s milieu. Added to this is another detail from earlier releases: Ratner had previously been shown in Epstein related contexts, including alongside Jean Luc Brunel, the French modeling agent and key figure who was later charged with the rape of a child and was found dead in his prison cell in 2022. Here too, the same applies: photos are not verdicts. But they are documents of more than mere social proximity.

What is striking is how soberly the files speak. No assessment, no classification, only images, points in time, places. Interpretation is left to the public. Ratner did not comment on the latest images. At the premiere of his film, he had said about the woman portrayed that he had not known her but had been immediately taken by her. The sentence sounds harmless. In the context of the images, it appears at least careless. The truth is likely different.

What remains is not proof, but an open account between the public and a system of access, closeness, and shielding. Those who sat on Epstein’s sofas did so at a time when much was visible and yet went without consequence. The files show no new crimes. They show how normal proximity to a later convicted sex offender was for parts of the elite. And they show that a comeback, even if it succeeds economically, does not shake off the shadow. The release does not only raise questions. It also compels something else: remembrance. And the insight that images from the past unfold their effect in the present – even when no one in them has been convicted. Not yet.