By: Julianne Gabis
A shocking undaunted documentary on the pedophilia accusations against Michael Jackson reignites the controversy and shatters the glittering appearance of the late King of Pop, featuring graphic and striking accounts of two men who claim Jackson sexually abused them for years as children.
The four-hour film Leaving Neverland by British film director Dan Reed was reportedly so devastatingly disturbing that counseling was made available on its premiere in the Sundance Film Festival in January.
According to the film director, the documentary included sexual detail “in very measured way, so it wasn’t done for shock value.”
The documentary centers on James Safechuck, 41, and Wade Robson, 36, who narrate separate but consistent accounts on how Jackson molested them and abused their innocence as children. Their mothers also offered their own accounts of seduction into the cult of Jackson.
“We tried to make it graphic enough to be eye-opening and for people to be confronted with what it means for a little child to be seduced and raped by an adult pedophile,” Reed shared in a media interview. “Of course it’s shocking. It’s a very serious crime and it shouldn’t be glossed over.”
HBO started airing it in two parts last Sunday.
The late singer’s estate as fervently defended the star, suing HBO with a $100 million lawsuit for a “posthumous character assassination” and for breaching an agreement made not to vilify the singer, a condition for airing one of his concerts.
Though it is not the very first publicizing of Jackson’s pedophilia accusations, it is the scandal’s first major explosion since the singer’s drug overdose over 10 years ago.
In 1993, Jackson faced accusations of sexually abusing a 13-year old boy and later on settled outside court trials. It was then followed by more accusations in 2003 that prompted a dramatic trial with Robson attesting for Jackson who was later on acquitted.
Young ECHO 
Leave a comment