UPDATE: People who choose to believe the Farrows have long said that their side of the story was never fully heard because Woody Allen is a rich and powerful man, so he controlled the narrative. These days, Woody's one biological child, Ronan Farrow, is a rich and powerful man. (In 2018, HBO
signed him for a documentary deal following his reporting on Harvey Weinstein, and the network curiously spent millions of dollars to produce a one-sided docuseries highlighting
his point of view.) Might he have anything to do with a major news outlet reneging on an article about "Allen v. Farrow" featuring Woody's most knowledgeable defender? Decide for yourself
HERE.
"How is this crazy story of me being brainwashed and coached more believable than what I’m saying about being sexually assaulted by my father?" -- Dylan Farrow in 2018.
In a New York Times piece about the HBO docuseries "Allen v. Farrow," Alexis Soloski answered the question like this:
"Because that story reinforces norms of power and control. Because it supports an idea of women as conniving and untrustworthy. Because making women wrong ... is what our culture loves to do."
It's hard to argue with her reasoning given our history -- see also: Trump vs. Clinton -- and it should be said that everyone's default should be to believe people who say they were victims of abuse. But each accusation still needs to be evaluated on its own merits, so let me see if I can help Dylan understand why everyone isn't just rushing to believe her mother.
Early on, the thing that struck many as not ringing true is that a man who was living under an intense spotlight for an exceedingly inappropriate relationship would then suddenly commit -- for the one and only time in his life, by all accounts -- an act of incest and pedophilia. Although false sex-abuse accusations are rare, ones leveled at the height of a custody battle are "highly suspicious" in the opinion of a former child-protection worker and current trauma therapist. (And do you want to know what's even more rare than a false accusation? A pedophile who only acts on his impulses once.) Add to the equation that the child-disputing couple’s breakup involved an affair with the woman’s adult daughter and it was clear this case had no precedent.
While questionable mud was slung in both directions, it's what we do know to be true that has led people who have critically examined the case to find it “more believable” (that Dylan Farrow was brainwashed and coached) because it is more than a bit coincidental that the allegation surfaced a mere 72 hours after her mother begged a psychologist who had been helping the family to "find a way" to stop the Soon-Yi affair -- even talking about marrying(!) "satanic" and "evil" (Mia's words) Woody if necessary to bring it to an end. The doctor said there was absolutely nothing that could be done -- as the public winced but ultimately shrugged because Woody and his girlfriend's adopted daughter were consenting adults -- and then suddenly a whole new offense that the entire world would have to be outraged about fell into Mia’s lap. (It’s the QAnon playbook.) The doctor said Mia went from being hysterical to strangely calm once she “learned” her daughter had been sexually assaulted.
It also hasn’t gone unnoticed by objective observers that details have been added to the abuse incident that do not check out. (Read about the case of the magical disappearing electric troy train HERE, which also calls the filmmakers’ credibility into further question.)
Does this mean Mia brainwashed her daughter? Of course not. But what I have outlined might go a long way toward answering Dylan’s question.
