Woody Allen's twenty-eight year old daughter, Dylan Farrow, has just written a
powerful statement outlining the sexual abuse she says she endured by her father, Woody Allen, when she was seven years old. The famous director strongly denies the allegations, and claims that Dylan's mother, Mia Farrow, is responsible for the false claims.
[1] A friend and filmmaker colleague has written a
strong opinion piece defending Woody Allen.
Woody Allen is presumed innocent. However, having represented many child sexual abuse victims for decades, I find Dylan's story is highly credible. Here's why.
1. She is not seeking anything from Woody Allen. She is not suing him. No criminal case is pending. (Nor could there be, due to the statute of limitations.) She is not selling a book or movie or anything else. Her sole motivation appears to be to tell her story. When sexual abuse victims grow up and get healthy, telling is a crucial, life-affirming step. Secrecy is toxic. Telling is liberating. It takes the shame off the victim's shoulders and places it squarely where it belongs: on the perpetrator.
Comment: Just to give readers an idea of how far out of the park Russia has batted the struggling economies in the West, the most expensive Summer Olympic Games (which have traditionally been far larger in scope and attraction than the Winter Games) was London 2012... at $15 billion, that didn't even cost one third as much as Putin's Games!
So much for 'Capitalism's victory over Communism' marking 'the End of History'...