EPISODE
Leaving Neverland
Leaving Neverland is a two-part documentary exploring the separate but parallel experiences of two young boys, James Safechuck, at age ten, and Wade Robson, at age seven, both of whom were befriended by Michael Jackson. Through gut-wrenching interviews with Safechuck, now 40, and Robson, now 36, as well as their mothers, wives and siblings, the film crafts a portrait of sustained abuse, exploring the complicated feelings that led both men to confront their experiences after both had a young son of his own. Directed by Dan Reed.
5 October 1957, Los Angeles, California, USA
11 December 1954, Gary, Indiana, USA
14 May 1944, Modesto, California, USA
2 December 1981, McComb, Mississippi, USA
26 August 1980, New York City, New York, USA
July 1, 1950 in West Point, New York, USA
26 July 1928, Fountain Hill, Arkansas, USA
26 August 1960, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
12 September 1981, Chicago, Illinois, USA
2 September 1950, Los Angeles, California, USA
6 February 1940, Webster, South Dakota, USA
February 27, 2019
What makes Leaving Neverland an unusually sensitive portrait of abuse recovery is that it's more interested in what was, rather than what should be.
February 28, 2019
Not a particularly imaginative documentary, in that it sticks to a straightforward narrative, and, in its empathetic approach, doesn't bother trying to include views from "the other side."
March 01, 2019
This film asks us what we really knew, what we can ever really know about our idols. There are always doors to be closed, behind which we know nothing.
March 03, 2019
While Jackson has been dead for almost a decade, Robson and Safechuck aren't looking for any kind of retribution in coming forward; they're just looking to be heard.
March 01, 2019
The circumstances surrounding Jackson and his relationships with young boys have always been unclear. But today's climate allows Leaving Neverland to ask questions at length -- and provide some answers.
February 27, 2019
Dan Reed's devastating documentary about Michael Jackson and pedophilia is not an easy watch, but it is an essential one.
March 01, 2019
As we're learning more and more with cases of abusive predators, we need to listen more carefully because the abuser often has the power and platform to yell louder. At its best, Leaving Neverland tries to balance the volume.
February 28, 2019
A riveting story of childhood sexual abuse and its devastating effects on survivors and families.
March 01, 2019
Leaving Neverland's greatest advantage - its focus on the two men's personal testimony - is also its biggest weakness, as no one outside their families is interviewed by the filmmakers to provide a wider context.
March 03, 2019
Watching these interviews, I don't doubt anyone's sincerity.