Directed by:
Dan ReedCinematography:
Dan ReedCast:
Michael Jackson (a.f.), Wade Robson, Jimmy Safechuck, Stevie Wonder (a.f.), Ronald Reagan (a.f.), Princess Diana (a.f.), King Charles III (a.f.) (more)Plots(1)
As one of the world’s most celebrated icons, Michael Jackson represents many things to many people - a pop star, a humanitarian, a beloved idol. When allegations of sexual abuse by Jackson involving young boys surfaced in 1993, many found it hard to believe that the King of Pop could be guilty of such unspeakable acts. In separate but parallel stories that echo one another, two boys were each befriended by Jackson, who invited them into his singular and wondrous world. Seduced by the singer’s fairy-tale existence and enthralled by their relationship with him, both boys' families were blind to the manipulation and abuse that he would ultimately subject them to. Through gut-wrenching interviews with the now-adult men and their families, Leaving Neverland crafts a portrait of sustained exploitation and deception, documenting the power of celebrity that allowed a revered figure to infiltrate the lives of starstruck children and their parents. (Sundance Film Festival)
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Michael Jackson has always been some kind of a weirdo for me but he made such a good music that he remains an intriguing character for many to this day. For many people he is still a popular topic for a different reason than his fans would probably like. The documentary called Leaving Neverland, made by HBO (and therefore not a fiction), introduces Michael’s darker side that everybody knows about but it has never been talked about so explicitly. Hearing it from the people he molested is a lot to take in. Four hours is a long footage for a documentary but it is worth it. I will not change my mind about his music but I have definitely changed my mind about him as a person...
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As a report on a part of Michael Jackson's private and public life, Leaving Neverland is obviously an important piece of work. I'm glad the former victims spoke up and were heard, especially if they had to relive their unequal relationship with Jackson over and over again and only collapsed after their own children were the same age as they were when Jackson first welcomed them to Neverland. The length and exclusive HBO distribution are problematic. The downside is the attempt to retroactively censor the pop culture of which Jackson was a part for so many years.
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Photo © Home Box Office (HBO)
![Leaving Neverland - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/163/329/163329279_9d0225.jpg)
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