#20 We just watched this on Netflix streaming.You should too!:

Roman Polanski Wanted and Desired

The Film: Roman Polanski Wanted and Desired

Think what you want about the guy, but he is one of best filmmakers to have ever lived. His life has inexplicable pain most of us can’t imagine. None of this excuses what he did, sleep with a young girl, but his arrest again in 2009 makes this movie all the more timely.

What a painful, strange life Polanski has had. He survived the Holocaust – although his mother did not. He clawed his way to being one of the most respected artists and personalities of the filmmaking world – just to have his world ripped away by the Mason family. Then committed the audacious crime of sleeping, and drugging, a young girl. People who claim the movie makes Polanski a tragic figure are absolutely correct, it does. How could a Holocaust survivor whose mother was murdered and whose wife and unborn child who were killed by Manson not be?

The film never excuses his behavior, but condemns the celebrity culture that wants to vilify a man despite the real victim request and pain.

Recently, we’ve had celebrities come out saying they want Polanski back in jail. This is despite the fact the victim has come forward again and again saying that she’s forgiven him and that she is victimized every time it’s brought up. It makes you wonder what battle these people are fighting.

Why to watch it: It gives perspective on a story still going on

If you’ve ever wondered what the fuck happened, this movie gives you a pretty clear-cut perspective. Polanski is a fascinating man even without his arrest and eventual escape.

The reality is that Polanski was treated poorly by the judicial system. Also bizarre, and something I didn’t know, is that the incident occurred at Jack Nichelson’s house. How odd. Also remember that the age of consent in France is, and I presume was, only two years older than the victim. I don’t think this is a defense of Polanski but a problem of adults who can sleep with children.

Pay attention to this: The American celebrity circus

This movie isn’t only about Polanski. Its about something bigger. Its about a country that longs to see its heroes destroyed and its celebrities humiliated. Most people think that this is a new phenomenon, however, it is evident that this has always been a problem. The circus surrounding these events are still going to this day and people are still ignoring the victim’s requests. Newspapers, magazines, and networks love when something awful happens to good people; its a real problem