"Quit Neverland": Sundance Review | view

Dir: Dan Reed. T & # 39; ES NUL. 2019. 236mins

More than justify its duration of four hours, Leave Neverland Absorbs as she devastates, shining the spotlight on two young men with damning allegations about how Michael Jackson badually badaulted them when they were kids. Such a description might give the impression that this documentary looks like twisted fodder, but director Dan Reed instead drew a totally disappointing picture of abuse: how does it happen, how do the survivors internalize and deny it? sometimes what happened to them? these persistent injuries can be. The dead pop star is never far from the center of Leave NeverlandIt is more accurate to say that it is the story of two men and their families whose lives have been forever changed.

It's hard to think of a film about abuse, denial, acceptance, and more emotional healing than this one.

Encouraging controversy before its world premiere at Sundance due to its shocking accusations, the film is expected to air on HBO in the United States and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Even ten years after his death, Jackson remains an iconic performer. Between his memorable songs and his personal scandals, he still commands the imagination of the public. So, there should be considerable interest in Leave Neverland, especially in the # MeToo era.

The film introduces us to James Safechuck and Wade Robson, two men who, independently of each other, have forged friendly ties with The King Of Pop when they were only children in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Safechuck, at the age of 10, had been in an advertisement for Pepsi with Michael Jackson, who was interested in the boy, while Robson was meeting the singer at the age of seven, impressive by his impeccable dance moves. During in-depth camera interviews, the two men – along with key family members – recount the beginnings of these friendships, and then what happened after their separation for alleged aggression.

Reed (a documentary filmmaker who focused on terrorism and, The pedophile hunter, badual predators online) recognizes the sensationalism inherent in the material but laudably avoids such a titillation, opting for a moderate and measured tone that allows Safechuck and Robson to tell their stories in a sometimes graphic but always frank way.

Built in two parts, each lasting about two hours, Leave Neverland wants us to understand why these men (and their parents) were so willing to be seduced by Jackson's perverse attention. This requires that Reed take her time to lay the groundwork for these friendships, while recognizing that the singer's first encounters are crucial because they pave the way for everything that follows.

It would be easy for the public to express their judgment as Safechuck and Robson explain how young aspiring artists who aspire to be coached by Jackson have a special interest in making them feel special and even loved ones. But among Leave NeverlandNotable achievements are Reed's empathic ability to provide the appropriate context (usually through archival footage), so that we can see the world from the perspective of these boys who were so confident they did not realize not what would happen to them.

The film could also be a fascinating study of human psychology – especially our obsession with celebrities and our inability to see the flaws of the people we think we know. These two men, along with their mothers, are plausibly rebuilding their thinking process, which leaves them convinced that they can trust Michael Jackson because he is a beloved pop star. But as their stories darken and the accusations become more shocking, what's fascinating is that, at one level, none of these people could totally believe that Jackson was capable of acts as terrible, regardless of the legal problem raised by the molestation charges. him in years later.

Those looking for juicy details of alleged badual abuse will get their share, but Leave Neverland is much more concerned about the consequences of abuse. Documentaries are not criminal trials, but the stories of Safechuck and Robson are persuasive, especially since they speak openly about jealousy, shame, anger and self-hatred that have burst after Jackson apparently abandoned them. These thorny emotions extend to people in the lives of these men and it is heartbreaking to learn, years later, how these alleged incidents have continued to confuse the various members of the family.

Composer Chad Hobson does an exemplary job of bringing lugubrious, but not hyperbolic, musical support to these shocking accusations, while Editor-in-Chief Jules Cornell sneaks his way between different speaking heads. Leave Neverland boasts a calm and concentrated precision that gives weight to the demands of men. It's hard to think of a film about abuse, denial, acceptance and recovery more touching than this one.