Ten years after his death, the documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ could be upsetting for fans of Michael Jackson. Dan Reed's documentary premiered Friday, Jan. 25th at Sundance and it has already caused much discussion. It tells the poignant testimony of two men who claim to have been abused by the artist when they were children: Wade Robson and James Safechuck. At the time, the complaints filed in 2013 and 2014 were rejected by the courts. But everything has come to light once again with this new documentary.
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Secret rooms to satisfy his sexual desires
The documentary is quite disturbing, and the organisers had planned accordingly. Psychologists were available to accompany the most troubled audience members at the end of the screening. James Safechuck described Michael Jackson's sex games with him in the Neverland pool and jacuzzi. He also talked about the many hidden rooms on his property, which he used to abuse the children.
James is not the only one to testify, there is also Wade Robson, who had defended Michael Jackson, out of fear or otherwise, at his trial in 1993 and who claims to have been sexually assaulted four years later when he was 14 years old. ‘He tried to sodomise me in a hotel in Los Angeles, backstage at the HIStory World Tour rehearsals,’ he says. The private secretary of the singer then asked him to destroy the evidence of this report.
Death threats before testifying
At the end of the screening, the two witnesses went on stage to explain the reasons for their testimony, despite the many death threats they had received prior to the documentary. ‘I understand that it's hard to hate him,’ said Wade Robson, who has since become one of the most popular choreographers in the United States.
The company that currently manages the legacy of the King of Pop has claimed that ‘This is another extravagant work, a scandalous and pathetic attempt to exploit and profit from Michael Jackson.’
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