There has always been something unsettling about the case between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. There was so much gossip and drama surrounding the case that you forgot that at the end of the day a poor child, Dylan Farrow, suffered at the hands of an adult, Woody Allen, and the adult happened to be her adoptive father who went on to marry Dylan Farrow’s step sister.
Allen v. Farrow examines the sexual molestation case brought against Woody Allen by the State Police of Connecticut and Manhattan, both with varying results. But this documentary discusses and interviews at length both Mia Farrow, Ronan Farrow and Dylan Farrow for their story.
The media fascination surrounding this case in the early 1990s was daily fodder in almost every paper and talk show, all portraying Mia Farrow, a woman scorned, an ex-lover seeking revenge on the famed director.
The story of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, old Hollywood meets new Hollywood. Mia Farrow the daughter of Hollywood legend Maureen O’Sullivan, of Tarzan fame and ex wife of Frank Sinatra.
Woody Allen the famed director who came to prominence with such films as Bananas, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, just to name a few of his works.
Their romance was atypical of New York. They both kept their separate residences, lived very independent lives, were the height of society, everyone wanted to meet them and be seen with them.
Woody Allen’s films were highly regarded the world over. He made one film a year and it was always eagerly anticipated, the height of class, the epitome of life in New York or Paris. In his films there was always a scene with someone talking about their neuroses and moral dilemma during a sophisticated dinner with celebrated guests.
Behind the camera life was very different. Woody Allen had taken an unnatural fascination with his adoptive daughter Dylan. He forced his way into her life, often causing the child with withdraw, as witnessed by numerous members of the immediate family and friends of Mia Farrow as openly discussed in the documentary.
Also while this was going on Woody Allen had started a romance with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia Farrow’s adoptive daughter from a previous marriage to Andre Previn, all unbeknown to Mia Farrow.
Life as they knew it came to a crashing halt one afternoon when Mia Farrow found nude pictures of her daughter Soon-Yi in the desk of Woody Allen. Mia would later go on to learn that the sexual relationship between Woody Allen and Soon-Yi had been going on for a number of years.
Over the years this story has been retold a number of times portraying Woody Allen as the poor individual who was suffering because his ex-lover Mia Farrow was going out of her way to damage his career.
But the reality is that this is a man who in numerous films has displayed older men having an almost awkward fascination with a younger woman and this famed director was investigated by two State Departments for inappropriate behavior towards a minor. Allen appears to have used his fame and celebrity to affect the outcome in at least one of the verdicts. But at the end of the day this documentary highlights the actions of one individual that has greatly affected and caused ongoing trauma to the Farrow family.
Allen v. Farrow is available to watch on HBO Max.
