#Docuseries Investigates Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Woody Allen – /Film

The controversial and disturbing sexual abuse allegations against director Woody Allen are the subject of Allen v. Farrow, a new four-part HBO documentery series from investigative filmmakers Kirby Dick & Amy Ziering and Amy Herdy. In the 1990s, Allen was accused of sexually molesting his adopted daughter, Dyaln Farrow, daughter of actress Mia Farrow. Allen has long denied the allegations, and the Connecticut State’s Attorney investigated the allegation but did not press charges. Now, this new docuseries delves into the case with new investigative work. Watch the Allen v. Farrow trailer below.

Allen v Farrow Trailer

When I was growing up and getting into film, I was a big fan of the work of Woody Allen. And while I still consider several of his movies to be genuinely good, some even great, it’s impossible to separate the art from the artist. Everyone has their own beliefs and assumptions regarding the abuse allegations leveled against Allen. I’m inclined to believe them. Yes, I know there were no charges filed. But I find it very hard to believe that the allegations are a lie that Mia Farrow coached her daughter to tell, as some people claim.

With all that in mind I have no doubt that Allen v. Farrow is going to be a conteroversial docuseries. The series is clearly told from the point of view of Mia Farrow and her family, as they’ve sat down here for interviews. Which means that Allen’s defenders will no doubt claim this series contains more lies. In the end, it’s up to the viewer to form their own opinion on the matter at hand.

The series “goes behind decades of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of one of Hollywood’s most notorious and public scandals: the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving Dylan, his then seven-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow;  their subsequent custody trial, the revelation of Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi; and the controversial aftermath in the years that followed. Once celebrated for their on and off-screen partnership, Farrow and Allen’s lives were irrevocably fractured and their sprawling family torn apart with the public disclosure of the abuse allegations and the vitriolic disputes that followed.”

The filmmakers interweave “new investigative work – meticulously pieced together via intimate home movie footage, court documents, police evidence, revelatory videotape and  never-before-heard audio tapes –  with exclusive, in-depth interviews on the subject with Mia Farrow, Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow, family friend Carly Simon, prosecutor Frank Maco, relatives, investigators, experts and other first-hand eyewitnesses – many of them speaking publicly about the events for the first time.  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.” The docuseries also “includes an intimate look at Farrow and Allen’s charmed courtship and emergence as one of Hollywood’s power couples, making thirteen influential films together over a decade. Over time, Allen becoming a father figure to Farrow’s children as well as their shared children. Yet, threaded throughout all of their professional success and personal achievements there were dark undercurrents at play. ”

Allen v. Farrow debuts on February 21 on HBO with new episodes airing subsequent Sundays. It will also be available to stream on HBO Max.

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