New York (AFP)
The river documentary "Allen v. Farrow", broadcast from Sunday on the American channel HBO, proves damning for the American director Woody Allen, implicated by a series of testimonies in the case of the alleged assault of his. adopted daughter Dylan.
Even if it does not contain any revelations, this documentary series, which has four episodes of one hour each and will be broadcast in March on OCS in France, should complete torpedoing the reputation of the New York director.
The directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, renowned documentary filmmakers, deliver here a presentation which takes up the investigation, with testimonies and supporting documents, some of which are unpublished, but goes well beyond.
Dylan Farrow accused Woody Allen of sexually assaulting her in August 1992 when she was 7 years old, which the director has always denied.
In the documentary, the link is made between the alleged sexual assault of Dylan, and the relationship of Woody Allen with the adopted daughter of his companion Mia Farrow, Soon-Yi Previn, who became his wife, but more generally to the taste of the director. Oscar winner for young girls.
Documents and testimonies indicate in particular that the director had sexual relations with Soon-Yi well before his majority.
On top of these disturbing elements, "Allen v. Farrow" superimposes Woody Allen's supposed propensity for manipulation, particularly of the press, to lessen the scope of the accusations and discredit Mia Farrow.
The film goes so far as to suggest that it may have derailed the two official investigations into the case, neither of which resulted in prosecution.
- "It speaks of a system" -
More generally, the documentary denounces the culture of pre-MeToo male domination, which has allowed many men to be able to abuse their position with impunity, sometimes in full view of part of their professional environment.
In addition, "Allen v. Farrow" will have a particular resonance in France, at a time when the Duhamel affair has triggered a series of accusations of incest targeting public figures.
The authors also show how Allan Konigsberg, whose real name is, continued to benefit from the unwavering support of the world of cinema after his implication, while Mia Farrow, deprived of roles, became, according to her, persona non grata in Hollywood.
It was not until 2017, thanks to a column by Dylan Farrow, and the renewed public support of his brother Ronan, a journalist turned hero of the #MeToo movement, that actors and actresses publicly distanced themselves from the 'octogenarian, very isolated since.
For Kirby Dick, the subject is broadened to the point that this documentary, which bears the name of Woody Allen, "is not really about him," he said in an interview with the Washington Post.
"It speaks of a system," confirmed Amy Ziering.
"This film is about bonding, the power of fame, the power of manipulation, how we're going to believe something that gets repeated enough."
"Allen v. Farrow" is also a dive into the world of Dylan Farrow, who delivers herself here as she had never done before, still visibly marked, almost 30 years later, by a deep trauma.
"There has been so much disinformation, (...) lies", says the one who is now a mother herself.
"They doubted me, they put me under a microscope, I was humiliated", while her adoptive father "was freewheeling".
There remains the heavy absence of Woody Allen himself during these four hours of ruthless indictment, even if are integrated excerpts from the audio book, read by the director, of his recent autobiography, "By the way" (2020).
No testimony comes to bring the contradiction, his wife Soon-Yi and his adopted son Moses, public supporter of his father in the past, having refused to collaborate in the project.
Asked by AFP, Woody Allen did not follow up.
"I think a lot of people who will see" the documentary, said Kirby Dick, "including people who defend Woody Allen today, are going to change their minds or see it in a very different way."
© 2021 AFP