Chances are, even if you’re unfamiliar with Mia Farrow as an actress or have never seen a Woody Allen movie, you know about their shared history. Farrow and Allen’s daughter, Dylan Farrow, accused him of sexual abuse when she was a young girl. Allen was never charged for the crime, but did lose an ensuing custody battle. He also had an affair with Farrow’s daughter Soon-Yi Previn when she was a college student and eventually married her. “Allen v. Farrow,” the new docuseries from “On the Record” directors Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, takes a new look at the allegations, scandals, and court cases that the titular characters will forever be associated with, as well as “the shattering effects of trauma on a family and … the skepticism and backlash that can result from an accusation,” a press release announced.
A teaser for the four-part project has dropped, and references one the most problematic elements of the investigation and press coverage that surrounded Dylan Farrow’s accusation: that it was all some ploy the romantically spurned Mia Farrow cooked up to get back at Allen. “The report says Farrow may have coached the child to tell the story,” we learn in the clip. One character says, “I want to make sure that we’re not talking about some type of a Hollywood relationship that’s just gone bad.”
Mia Farrow herself appears in the spot, and recalls her initial reaction to her daughter’s allegations. “Who on earth could believe that of Woody Allen?” the actress remarks. “I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it.”
“This gripping series interweaves new investigative work – meticulously pieced together via intimate home movie footage, court documents, police evidence, revelatory videotape, and never-before-heard audio tapes,” the press release details, “with exclusive, in-depth interviews on the subject with Mia Farrow, Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow, family friend Carly Simon, prosecutor Frank Maco, relatives, investigators, experts, and other first-hand eyewitnesses – many of them speaking publicly about the events for the first time. The series also includes prominent cultural voices exploring Allen’s body of work in a broader context and reflecting on how public revelations about the personal lives of artists can lead to re-evaluations of their work.”
Ziering and Dick’s last project, “On the Record,” was released last year on HBO Max. The doc followed music exec Drew Dixon in the early weeks of the #MeToo movement, chronicling her decision to go public and accuse Def Jam Recordings co-founder Russell Simmons of raping her. Ziering and Dick have collaborated on several films, including “The Invisible War” and “The Hunting Ground,” both of which examine rape culture. The former focuses on the U.S. military and the latter on college campuses across the U.S. “The Invisible War” won two Emmys and received an Oscar nod. “The Hunting Ground” won an Emmy and scored an Oscar nod for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for Lady Gaga and Diane Warren’s “Til It Happens to You.”
Next, Ziering and Dick are working on “Not So Pretty,” an HBO Max docuseries about the dark side of the beauty industry.
“Allen v. Farrow” premieres February 21 on HBO and HBO Max.
