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The film details the stories of two boys (now men), James Safechuck and Wade Robson (who is now an accomplished choreographer), their sexual relationship with Michael Jackson, and the repercussions of that relationship in their lives. The film debuted recently at Sundance, and it is four hours long. The Jackson estate and his supporters fling expected insults at the film, and have apparently threatened the director and the two men who allege sexual abuse.
But from what I have seen, the reviews are that it is credible and done in a "sober" style . . . rather than a sensationalist, click-bait style you might have anticipated. And it sounds like what is presented is a credible story of inappropriate behavior, and blame to be shared by not only Jackson but those who enabled the entire arrangement, including the boys' mothers. Slate called the film "devastating." Of course, it is, by nature, one-sided. The Jackson estate or his defenders are not allowed to present a counterpoint . . . but the film certainly seems to confirm what most people suspected based on what was clearly unusual behavior, strongly suggestive of something inappropriate.
The film will premier for the general public on HBO this spring. How will it impact Michael Jackson's legacy?
Here's a review from Vulture:
https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/lea...ackson-abuse-dan-reed.html?curator=MusicREDEF
The Slate review: https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/l...chael-jackson-documentary-sundance-abuse.html
And from Variety:
But from what I have seen, the reviews are that it is credible and done in a "sober" style . . . rather than a sensationalist, click-bait style you might have anticipated. And it sounds like what is presented is a credible story of inappropriate behavior, and blame to be shared by not only Jackson but those who enabled the entire arrangement, including the boys' mothers. Slate called the film "devastating." Of course, it is, by nature, one-sided. The Jackson estate or his defenders are not allowed to present a counterpoint . . . but the film certainly seems to confirm what most people suspected based on what was clearly unusual behavior, strongly suggestive of something inappropriate.
The film will premier for the general public on HBO this spring. How will it impact Michael Jackson's legacy?
Here's a review from Vulture:
Those who go into Dan Reed’s Leaving Neverland expecting a sensationalistic, data-dump exposé about Michael Jackson might be surprised to discover something quite different. Over the course of its four-hour running time, Reed’s film — which premiered at Sundance on Friday and will show on HBO this spring — focuses intently and intimately on the experiences of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who say that Jackson sexually abused them for years, when they were children. Reed takes his time, however, interviewing these men and their families, giving them the space to soberly detail their experiences.
We’re so used to the fast cutting of contemporary documentaries that seeing one that allows its subjects to speak at length has a rather bracing effect: It gives us the chance to look into their eyes and decide if we believe them or not. The film’s extended running time also allows Reed to explore areas of the story that might have gotten short shrift otherwise. Among those interviewed are Safechuck and Robson’s mothers, who eagerly took their kids to see Jackson and who, despite some initial concerns, seemed to willfully ignore what was going on. Now, years later, the men still seem to have trouble forgiving their moms for not protecting them at the time. Indeed, the most powerful part of Leaving Neverland comes in its closing half-hour, when, years after Jackson’s death, Robson and Safechuck finally open up to their families about the abuse they suffered. An ordinary-length film would not have been able to include all that.
https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/lea...ackson-abuse-dan-reed.html?curator=MusicREDEF
The Slate review: https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/l...chael-jackson-documentary-sundance-abuse.html
And from Variety:
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