Confliction

by Pa Rock
Consumer of Entertainment

Last night as I was searching for an interesting movie to watch I came across a Woody Allen film that I had not seen before, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion."   While I felt some guilt about settling in to watch a film that was written, directed, and starred-in by a man many consider to be a pariah because of sexual abuse allegations nearly thirty years earlier by one of his adopted children, I watched the movie anyway - and enjoyed it thoroughly.

In 1992 seven-year-old Dylan Farrow, who had been adopted as an infant by actress Mia Farrow and several years later by Farrow's paramour, Woody Allen, made an allegation of sexual abuse against Allen.  Specifically, the girl alleged that Allen had taken her into a crawl space in the attic of Mia Farrow's country home in Connecticut where he digitally penetrated her.  Woody Allen vigorously denied the allegation, claiming it was retaliation by Mia Farrow after she discovered that he was having an affair with her adult adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn - whom Allen married five years later.

After the allegations were made, Woody Allen sued Mia Farrow for custody of her two youngest adopted children, Dylan and a brother named Moses, and also sought sole custody of a young biological son of both he and Ms. Farrow - a child who grew up to become Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow.  Allen lost that case, but after a lengthy review by state authorities, no charges were ever filed against him in the molestation case involving his daughter.

And yet, being a former state child abuse investigator myself, I knew from experience how difficult it is for children to come forward and give a convincing retelling of abuse, especially when they have to face down adults who are skilled at making things seem believable - and their highly polished legal teams.  My support has nearly always rested with the child, and I saw no reason to drift from that position, especially since more than a quarter-of-a-century later Dylan Farrow still maintains that the abuse occurred.

But I watched that Woody Allen movie and enjoyed it.   A few months before I had viewed his film "Wonder Wheel" which starred Juno Temple, a talented young actress who had previously starred in a film that my son had written.   And then there was Allen's six-episode television production entitled "Crisis in Six Scenes" in which he played opposite Miley Cyrus.  Another great piece of entertainment.

And I gorged on it all - while realizing that the writer - director - star was a person whom I would never want near my grandchildren for any reason!

But my confliction goes beyond Woody Allen.

Kevin Spacey's career collapsed two years ago as various boys and young men began coming forward telling stories about how the highly versatile actor had insinuated himself into their lives and used that closeness to make unwanted sexual advances.  Spacey, in a fit of remorse, even corroborated some of their claims.    The allegations and subsequent charges not only resulted in roles drying up for the actor,  all of his scenes were even deleted from a movie he had just completed - and another actor - Christopher Plummer - was brought in to re-shoot them.

Years ago I had gone to the Old Vic Theatre in London's West End to see a production of "Hamlet."  Kevin Spacey was the artistic director at the Old Vic at that time, and I especially wanted to get a feel for how the theatre was functioning under his guidance.  I am also a fan of his film work -  and manage to watch "The Ref " almost every Christmas.   I watch it even though Spacey himself has behaved in a monstrous manner toward several young men who were drawn to the flame of his celebrity.  And for that I am always conflicted.

And then there is Garrison Keillor, a man who was fired by Minnesota Public Radio after multiple women began coming forward and saying they had been groped by the radio personality.  Keillor had already retired from his long-running "A Prairie Home Companion" not too long before the allegations began surfacing, but he was still doing appearances around the country and promoting "Prairie Home" merchandise.  In fact, just a couple of weeks before the story broke and he was fired, I had been sitting on the aisle six rows back at a Keillor show in Kansas City - and when he sat down and began doing a "News from Lake Woebegone" monologue, I felt he was staring straight at me while he shared the fictional news and gossip from his fictional hometown.

"Guy Noir," "Dusty and Lefty," and "The News from Lake Woebegone" are all part of America's cultural heritage - and that is thanks to Garrison Keillor - and I feel guilty for enjoying his superb wit and work.

I would like to be able to ignore the works of all of the flawed men, but a part of me argues that if I succumb to those feelings of piety and self-righteousness, that I will be denying myself some of life's most delicious pleasures - and is that the right response when I was not a party to any of the abuse?

I remain conflicted.