Polanski Doc Finally Gets at the Truth

Roman Polanski is a fabulous director, but also a notorious one. In 1978, Polanski pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of a then 13, Samantha Geimer. Polanski fled to Paris, where he remains today, to avoid being sentenced.

I personally knew nothing of this story until a few years ago when The Pianist was up for best picture and the tabloids were a buzz with predictions of whether or not Polanski would show up at the ceremony or not; risking being arrested.

But now, film maker Marina Zenovich has put together a documentary that takes a serious look at the case and hopefully will provide some answers to the slight mystery of what actually transpired between Polanski and Geimer. The film, entitled Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, apparently made a bit of a splash at Sundance a few months back and has now been picked up for television and theatrical rights by THiNKfilm.

So I hadn’t heard about the film until today, but I must say I’m intrigued as the word around the campfire is that it’s pretty well made and gets to the meat of some hidden issues. Director Zenovich had this to say about working on the film:

“In 2003, talk of [Polanski] winning an Oscar and whether he’d risk coming to accept it started me thinking about this case because nobody knew exactly what happened. Fearing sensationalism, nobody would talk to me. It took five years. Eventually those involved realized I had good intentions and just wanted to tell the story. I met [Geimer's] lawyer and then Samantha, the girl herself. Why she consented, I don’t know. Even her mother talked to me. Now blonde, clear-eyed, 45, with three kids, Samantha lives in Hawaii and she basically has forgiven him.“

If, like most of us, you’re not able to make this doc’s international debut at Cannes in just a couple weeks, HBO will air it on June 9th, with THINKFilm’s theatrical engagements beginning with a New York opening on July 11th. I for one will do what I can to catch this when it airs in June.

sources:
Starpulse.com
Movie City Indie