[imagesource: HBO]

Woody Allen movies are an acquired taste.

They’re a bit like Wes Anderson movies, in that they’re almost their own genre, although Anderson has never been accused of sexually abusing his seven-year-old daughter.

For those who don’t know the backstory, Allen has been accused of sexually abusing Dylan Farrow, the daughter he has with Mia Farrow, on August 4, 1992.

Allen’s relationship with Farrow ended when he left her for Farrow’s adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, a relationship Farrow became aware of when she found nude pictures of Previn at Allen’s home in January of the same year.

The then 56-year-old Allen told Farrow that he had sex with Previn, then 21, two weeks earlier. Allen and Previn have been married since 1997, and have adopted two children.

Quite a lot to take in, right?

Let’s turn our attention to Allen v. Farrow, the new HBO docuseries, which is due to premiere on February 21.

This from IndieWire:

The documentary, from filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, aims to offer a deep-dive into the the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen…

Though Allen has never been charged with a crime despite multiple investigations, the scandal has persisted as one of Hollywood’s most public controversies.

Per HBO, “Allen v. Farrow” will interweave new investigative work, intimate home movie footage, court documents, police evidence, revelatory videotape and never-before-heard audio tapes, as well as interviews with Mia Farrow, Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow, family friend Carly Simon, prosecutor Frank Maco, relatives, investigators, experts and other eyewitnesses.

The series also includes prominent cultural voices exploring Allen’s body of work in a broader context and reflecting on how public revelations about the personal lives of artists can lead to re-evaluations of their work.

Working with Woody Allen in recent times has led to criticism of actors, some of whom have come out and expressed regret about that decision, whilst others have stood by him.

Ronan Farrow, perhaps most famous for exposing Harvey Weinstein, says he believes Allen did molest his sister. In 2014, Dylan also wrote an open letter published in The New York Times, where she described the alleged abuse.

All in all, it’s a story that has spent decades being talked out, and the HBO series looks to be the most in-depth investigation yet.

Here’s the trailer:

Woody Allen has been vocal these past few weeks, decrying those who boycott his work and discussing the #MeToo movement, which is perhaps an attempt to get in ahead of the airing of the four-part series.

It should make for very interesting viewing.

[source:indiewire]