HBOs Allen V. Farrow is an overwhelming documentary series; its emotional intensity should be accompanied by a trigger warning. The docuseries investigates the sexual abuse allegations against Oscar-winning director Woody Allen made by adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992 when she was only 7.This case has been overly covered by the media for decades, but Allen V. Farrow tries to go beyond the headlines by giving intimate interviews with Dylan, her mother Mia Farrow (Allen’s former partner), brothers Ronan and Fletcher Farrow, as well as other family friends, witnesses, experts, journalists and investigators. The docuseries is, for the most part, a powerful endeavor. It gives Dylan a safe space to narrate traumatic experiences, goes down the rabbit hole of the Farrow-Allen custody battle, and reveals more about Allen’s marriage to Mia’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Most importantly, it acts as a scathing mirror to the society that Allen allowed to thrive after the allegations turned into a major public scandal.
A an inordinate amount of time is spent charting Allen’s rise to become a hugely popular figure in New York City and the entertainment industry. In the larger overview of the series, this may provide some insight into how he was able to overcome the seriousness of the accusations by winning awards and making films with famous actors. But some inclusions seem unnecessary, including a specific analysis of Allen’s films such as 1979s Manhattan, and how fixated on his older character that younger women fall in love with. It’s a critical point – maybe enough to make a very different journalism project – but here it feels a bit like ham-fisted, especially for viewers already familiar with Allen oeuvre.
But Allen V. Farrow is still a compelling and often difficult watch. It’s on track with previous 2012 documentaries from filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick The invisible war, investigating sexual assault in the U.S. military, up to 2020 On the record, one of the most thorough investigations of the sexual harassment allegations against hip-hop mogul Russell Simons. The filmmakers, including Amy Herdy, spent four years researching the series, and it shows. Allen V. Farrow frames the story with the help of piles of legal documents, never-before-seen footage and interviews with witnesses. There are many childhood videos of Dylan in which she plays in the pool with Allen, hangs out at home, and travels the world with other siblings. The images paint a picture of a supposedly happy time, but, as Dylan says in her interview, there was reportedly more to it than meets the eye.
Allen V. Farrow follows somewhat of a chronological order, with the first few episodes following the growth of Allen and Mia Farrow’s career, relationship, and family. Mia, who hasn’t spoken too much in public for several years, reflects on her relationship with Allen and calls him her greatest regret. “It’s my fault. I brought this man into our family. I can’t help it,” says Farrow. In a painful scene, she describes the day she found her daughter Soon-Yi’s revealing Polaroids in Allen’s apartment. when finally all hell broke loose.
G / O Media can receive a commission
The documentary goes on to provide detailed details of the custody battle, as well as the police investigation against Allen in New York and Connecticut states. During their custody trial and in media appearances (recorded in clips), Allen claimed that Mia coached Dylan to lie. He tried to paint his ex as a woman scorned, an incredibly resonant example of gaslighting. Allen, Previn and Moses, his adoptive son with Mia, declined to be interviewed for the docuseries. Moses is the only member of the large family who has sided with his father. Allen’s performances in Allen V. Farrow largely via secretly recorded telephone conversations between him and Mia and audio clips from his 2020 audiobook, Apropos of nothingThe documentary looks at the flawed way the Yale New Haven Clinic conducted Dylan’s evaluation after the allegations. Frank Maco, the then investigating public prosecutor, is also interviewed. It was his decision that kept the case from going to trial, as he thought Dylan was unable to testify. All have never been prosecuted.
The emotional anchor of Allen V. Farrow is Dylan, who can finally patiently tell her story. It is heartbreaking to see her talk about the trauma she has endured from a young age, starting with Allen’s possessiveness about her (which is confirmed here by interviews with several people: babysitters, a tutor, siblings, family friends, her mother). At some point, she gets a physical bodily response that resembles a panic attack, while she thinks about everything. These are not easy things to remember, let alone talk about and be judged by the audience. But the filmmakers admirably give her the time and space to discuss it. The most poignant part comes from videos of Dylan as a child filming Mia for two days, describing them details of the sexual assault she accuses Allen ofFair warning: the description can be graphic.
But Allen V. Farrow Dylan doesn’t want to define just by her past. “I’m tired of feeling like he matters more than I do,” she says towards the end, reflecting on why she started speaking out more at the beginning of the #MeToo era. Allen V. Farrow also ends as a scathing tale of celebrity worship and celebrity culture, inevitably creating a landscape that affects the execution of justice in cases like these. Ultimately, it is an intriguing docuseries that will interest those who have invested in the cause to rethink it through the lens of four compelling, often uncomfortable episodes.