Allen v. Farrow Trailer Offers a Deeper Look at the Woody Allen Abuse Allegations

By Justice Namaste  |  February 17, 2021 | 12:47am
EntertainmentTV
Allen v. Farrow Trailer Offers a Deeper Look at the Woody Allen Abuse Allegations
Screenshot:HBO (Fair Use)

Allen v. Farrow, an upcoming four-part HBO docuseries, will dive into the disturbing accusations of sexual abuse made against director Woody Allen by his daughter Dylan Farrow and her mother Mia Farrow. Allen was first accused of molesting his daughter in 1992, when a seven-year-old Dylan allegedly told her mother Mia that her father had touched her in an inappropriate place. Dylan Farrow addressed the molestation allegations in her own words for the first time in 2014, when she published an open letter in the New York Times describing the alleged abuse. Unsurprisingly, Allen has consistently denied the allegations, often leaning on transparently weak defenses—such as the argument that he couldn’t have abused Dylan because it would’ve been illogical—as well as implying that Mia Farrow had planted the accusations in Dylan’s head.

In addition to the abuse allegations, Allen v. Farrow will also reportedly delve into Mia Farrow and Woody Allen’s custody trial, as well as Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi. The docuseries is directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, also known for directing the 2020 documentary On the Record, which examined sexual assault allegations against Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons. According to the trailer, Allen v. Farrow will rely on home videos, audiotapes, court documents, and interviews with Farrow family members, investigators, and witnesses to tell the story of the very public scandal. Despite critiques of some of the filmmaking choices, early reviews of the docuseries commend the ways the docuseries centers Dylan’s voice in its retelling of the allegations.

Dylan Farrow most recently addressed the molestation accusations against Allen during a 2018 interview with CBS News’s Gayle King, which marked the first time Farrow had spoken on television about the allegations. During their conversation, Farrow addressed the complicity of the countless people in the entertainment industry who continue to work with and defend Allen, saying:

“I have been repeating my accusations unaltered for over 20 years and I have been systematically shut down, ignored or discredited. If they can’t acknowledge the accusations of one survivor, how are they going to stand for all of us?”

Allen v. Farrow will premiere on Sunday, February 21.

 
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