Leaving Neverland
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Leaving Neverland |
| Original title | Leaving Neverland |
 | |
| Country of production | USA , UK |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2019 |
| length | 236 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Dan Reed |
| production | Dan Reed |
| music | Chad Hobson |
| camera | Dan Reed |
| cut | Jules Cornell |
| occupation | |
| |
Leaving Neverland is a two-part documentary directed by Dan Reed that premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019 . The focus of the film is the child sexual abuse of two now adult protagonists by Michael Jackson . She and her relatives describe how their relationship with the American superstar developed, he promoted her career and the abuses described affected her later life.
In German-speaking countries, the film was shown on April 6, 2019 on ProSieben and on SRF Zwei.
Plot / content
In the first part, 36-year-old choreographer Wade Robson and 40-year-old James Safechuck tell in interview scenes how they independently met Michael Jackson and became part of his life for a while. Their relatives also have their say and describe the events from their point of view. Safechuck starred in a 1987 commercial with Jackson when he was ten years old. Brisbane's Robson was five years old when he won a meeting with the singer at a dance competition in Australia in 1987. Both boys are invited by the pop star to hang out with him. They are excited that the world star wants to be their friend, and their families are also deeply impressed to be so close to him and to be able to participate in his life.
The interviews are supplemented by statements from family members and spouses. In this context, the question arises again and again why the parents agreed to leave their children alone with a man they did not really know and let their sons sleep unattended in the same room with the man.
The second part shows the lawsuits against Jackson, beginning in 1993 with the case of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who claimed the singer sexually abused him while he was staying at his ranch. In addition, the second half shows how Robson and Safechuck only came to the realization that they were traumatized years after the events. Both Safechuck and Robson report in the film that they were abused on Jackson's Neverland ranch on numerous occasions and that Jackson triggered "alarms" when third parties approached, causing the boys to get dressed. Both men claim the abuse got worse with age. Their statements are supported in the film with love letters and audio messages that Jackson sent to the boys. The film also describes details of a mock wedding ceremony between Safechuck, who was nine at the time, and the pop singer. Safechuck says he received a wedding certificate and a ring as a symbol of "her undying love".
During the alleged years of abuse, in Robson's case between the ages of seven and 14, Jackson is said to have repeatedly told the two boys not to reveal anything that was going on in his house. If so, both he and the boys would be sentenced to life imprisonment. Their loyalty to Jackson is said to have made them feel as if they could not reveal themselves. The boys are said to have lied to their parents, their future wives and also in the courtroom.
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Wade Robson testified under oath at a later trial that Jackson never approached him inappropriately. He later withdrew this statement and reported years of sexual assault. Jackson was charged with child molestation in 2003, but was acquitted on all counts on June 13, 2005 following a lengthy trial. However, he reportedly paid his accusers $ 20 million based on civil settlement. After Jackson's death in 2009, both Robson and Safechuck filed civil suits against the Jackson Estate . In 2017, a judge dismissed the lawsuits, arguing that the Jackson Estate could not be held responsible for the singer's conduct.
Safechuck names the Neverland train station as one of the places where he was sexually abused until 1992, but it was not built until 1994. Director Reed said the abuse was incorrectly dated.
production
Directed by Dan Reed .
The film was shown for the first time on January 25, 2019 as part of the Sundance Film Festival . Due to the threat of protests by fans of Michael Jackson, there was a large number of police in front of the Egyptian Theater there on the day of the premiere. In the end, only a few protesters turned up and presented signs with inscriptions such as "Seek Truth" and "Innocent". However, police officers patrolled the area with explosive detection dogs. A first trailer was presented in mid-February 2019. On March 3, 2019, the first half of Leaving Neverland was shown on HBO and Channel 4, and the second half the following day. Oprah Winfrey invited director Dan Reed, Robson and Safechuck for an interview after it aired. In German-speaking countries, the film was shown on ProSieben in prime time on April 6, 2019 , and two late evenings on SRF . In the SRF - library , the film is two weeks available, it is also there for days on available because is released the film from 12 years ( Art. 5 RTA ). After the station announced that it wanted to show Leaving Neverland , this caused outrage and heated discussions on the internet, whereupon ProSieben announced that it would show a self-produced special before the documentary starting at 8:15 p.m., which should help to classify and supplement the film. ProSieben editor-in-chief Stefan Vaupel announced: “In our ProSieben special we ask questions that the documentation does not ask, and we deal with the most important moments in the superstar's life. We also investigate how the new allegations change the view of Michael Jackson's oeuvre. That helps to classify the special documentary 'Leaving Neverland'. "
reception
Reviews
So far, the film has received a positive rating from 98 percent of Rotten Tomatoes critics, with an average of 8 out of a possible 10 points.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety describes Leaving Neverland as overwhelmingly powerful, compelling and powerful than anything you've seen so far on this issue, starting with a detailed article in Vanity Fair in 1993. Dan Reed forcing to provide a to face reality that the greatest pop genius since the Beatles was a monster among his talent. Leaving Neverland is not a thriller , but undeniably a kind of true horror film . Gleiberman asks how a sensible parent could agree to the arrangement that the boys could come to him for play dates and share the bed with him, but without letting them off the hook, Leaving Neverland showed how the parents felt under the Were banned by Jackson and crushed by his fame. The fact that the children let this happen is explained in the film with a kind of love they felt for him, which is why they did everything that was necessary to please him. The film captures one of the greatest evils of child sexual abuse, namely that the victims may not experience it as "wrong" at the time.
Rolling Stone's David Fear adds, the film also shows how sexual abuse scars the psyche that fame can be seductive enough, especially when it comes to parenting, moral compasses skewing, and how complicated it can be when one comes from hurting someone you love. In a conversation with Deutschlandfunk Kultur , Marcus Schuler said that it was particularly interesting to see how Reed uses Jackson as an example to uncover "the scam of a pedophile" and how he tore two families apart, a scam that is just as good for the neighbor next door or the "nice uncle" could count.
In her review, Nina Rehfeld of Spiegel Online refers to a statement in the New York Times, according to which the story of Michael Jackson was written for the longest time by Jackson himself, in which he was portrayed as a philanthropist, pacifist and child friend. Now this story is presented from a different perspective, which is unquestionably a sign of the “ MeToo ” age, says Rehfeld: “ Leaving Neverland is the story of an unstable egomaniac who stages himself in a child's role that is out of proportion to his influence and is his age; who in this role sells sex to young children as proof of love; who instills secrecy on his victims; who, as soon as they reach puberty, exchanges them for new, younger ones. And who doesn't give a damn about the fact that he charms, tears apart, uses, and discards families. ”Rehfeld also refers to the question discussed in the US media about how to deal with another“ monstrous genius ”, a question raised by the cultural world with regard to figures like Charles Dickens , Pablo Picasso , James Brown and Roman Polański : “Can you look at the art of Jackson, who shaped pop music like no other, separately from the artist? Do you have to renounce everything that Jackson created, if that is even possible? Or do you have to consider the disturbing complexity of this story? "
Marietta Steinhart from Zeit Online notes that after four hours, when the film is over, it is almost impossible not to feel affected, the reports that the director presents are so powerful and stressful.
Variety's Owen Gleiberman explains the structure of the film, the second half of Leaving Neverland , which is mainly devoted to the question of how Robson and Safechuck understood that they were traumatized only after Jackson's death, is a key reason why the film is so important. However, there is also an element of Leaving Neverland that remains largely unlit: “What was going on with Michael Jackson himself? It is up to us to speculate what made him the perpetrator. "
Awards
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 2019
- Nomination for best documentary
Eddie Awards 2020
- Nomination for Best Editing - Documentary (Small Screen) ( Jules Cornell )
- Award in the Documentary or Nonfiction Special category (Dan Reed, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller)
- Nomination in the category Directing for a Documentary / Nonfiction Program ( Dan Reed )
- Nomination in the category Sound Editing for Nonfiction Program (Ross Millership and Poppy Kavanagh)
- Nomination in the category Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Matt Skilton and Marguerite Gaudin)
- Nomination in the category Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program (Jules Cornell)
Producers Guild of America Awards 2020
- Award in the Producer of Non-Fiction Television category
Web links
- Leaving Neverland in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Leaving Neverland in the program of the Sundance Film Festival (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Marietta Steinhart: "Leaving Neverland": The lost boys of Neverland. In: Zeit Online, March 4, 2019 (page 2).
- ↑ a b Dominic Patten: Michael Jackson Child Sex Abuse Docu Subjects Get Sundance Standing Ovation. In: deadline.com, January 25, 2019.
- ^ A b c Alex Young: Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland premieres at Sundance: "More disturbing than you could imagine". In: consequenceofsound.net, January 25, 2019.
- ↑ "Leaving Neverland": Director admits mistakes in Jackson documentary. Image , accessed on April 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Dave McNary: Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Documentary Added to Sundance Lineup. In: Variety, January 9, 2019.
- ↑ Tatiana Siegel: Sundance: Premiere of Michael Jackson Doc 'Leaving Neverland' Attracts Small Group of Protestors. In: The Hollywood Reporter, January 25, 2019.
- ↑ a b David Fear: 'Leaving Neverland': Controversial Michael Jackson Doc Will Leave You Shellshocked. In: Rolling Stone, March 1, 2019.
- ↑ First trailer for Michael Jackson documentary 'Leaving Neverland' released. In: The Irish Times, February 20, 2019.
- ↑ Michael Jackson: Lawyers show life concerts at the same time as abuse documentary. In: NOiZZ, March 5, 2019.
- ↑ Michael Jackson: Oprah wants to know who helped with alleged abuse. In: noizz.de, March 4, 2019.
- ↑ ProSieben shows Jackson documentary “Leaving Neverland” in April In: Der Standard, March 6, 2019.
- ↑ a b Old allegations re-rolled - "Leaving Neverland" - the documentary. In: SRF. April 6, 2019, accessed April 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Noelle Steiner: Documentary Leaving Neverland is shown on SRF Zwei. Retrieved April 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Tobias Mayer: "Leaving Neverland" for TV unabridged: This is how ProSieben shows the Michael Jackson documentary. In: filmstarts.de, April 6, 2019.
- ^ Leaving Neverland. In: Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed March 16, 2019. Note: The Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes shows what percentage of the registered critics gave the film a positive rating.
- ^ A b Owen Gleiberman: Sundance Film Review: 'Leaving Neverland'. A documentary exposé offers devastatingly powerful and convincing testimony that Michael Jackson was guilty of child sexual abuse. In: Variety, January 25, 2019.
- ↑ Marcus Schuler in conversation with Oliver Schwesig: Documentary “Leaving Neverland”: Relentless protocol in front of the camera. In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur, March 5, 2019.
- ↑ Nina Rehfeld: Abuse documentary "Leaving Neverland": How Michael Jackson charmed, tore up, threw away families. In: Spiegel Online, March 5, 2019.
- ↑ Katherine Schaffstall: Critics' Choice Doc Awards: 'Biggest Little Farm,' AOC Film 'Knock Down the House,' Obama-Backed 'American Factory' Among Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, October 14, 2019.
- ↑ Carolyn Giardina: 'Ford v Ferrari,' 'The Irishman,' 'Joker' Among American Cinema Editors' Eddie Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, December 11, 2019.
- ↑ Emmys 2019: List of Nominations. In: Variety, July 16, 2019.
- ↑ Producers Guild Awards 2020: Complete list of PGA winners in all 13 categories. In: goldderby.com, January 19, 2020.