Is Time Up for Woody Allen?

In an article, published on January 18th, the incessantly denied claims of sexual abuse made by Dylan Farrow of her adopted father, American filmmaker Woody Allen, are addressed, following the multitude of Weinstein allegations, and a new publication in the LA Times by Dylan Farrow recounting the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father as a child 25 years ago. In light of these allegations, more and more actors have begun to distance themselves from the 82-year-old director, perhaps securing his fate with that of Weinstein’s, as outcasts from a new, honest, and heedful Hollywood.

Woody Allen has a long, complicated family history, so it is unsurprising that despite Farrow’s consistent and unwavering assertions, her claims have been overlooked and reframed as a retaliation on the part of her mother, Mia Farrow, against Allen’s affair with her adopted sister, Priven. The complexities of that situation, and the lack of evidence found by child welfare investigators and Connecticut authorities when investigating Allen’s home at the time of Dylan Farrow’s original abuse allegations, have allowed her claims to be largely inconsequential to Allen’s career, until now, when, in light of the accusations made against Harvey Weinstein, and the consequent success of the Time’s Up movement, Dylan released a Op-Ed in the LA Times, entitled ‘Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?’. In the article, Farrow discusses the details of the incident that took place when she was 7 years old, and discusses “Allen’s pattern of inappropriate behaviour - putting his thumb in my mouth, climbing into bed with me in his underwear, constant grooming and touching” admitting that his behaviour even resulted in Allen enrolling in “therapy for his conduct towards me.” As to why Farrow’s claims were never proved to be real, and so had no effect on Allen or his career, she explains that although the prosecutor had “probable cause to charge Allen” he “declined in order to spare me, a child victim, from an exhausting trial.” 

Since the publication of the Op-Ed in December 2017, at least three actresses have apologised for working with Allen. In an interview with the New York Times, writer-director Greta Gerwig admitted: “If I’d known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have acted in the film”, while Mia Sorvino published an open letter in the Huffington Post apologising to Farrow, on behalf of herself and “countless others” for “praising him, and ignoring you.” In response to these apologies, several stars of Allen’s upcoming movie, A Rainy Day in New York, have made donations; Selena Gomez has reportedly made a significant donation to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, while Griffin Newman has donated his salary from the movie to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. Mia Farrow’s own bold statement that “Woody Allen is a living testament to the way our society fails the survivors of sexual abuse and assault,” rings truer now than ever, and only further proves that “we are in the midst of a revolution” in which women are finally being heard, and men, like Weinstein and Allen, are being held accountable for their indefensible actions.

Works Cited

“Why Hollywood is turning against Woody Allen.” The Week UK, www.theweek.co.uk/in-depth/91050/why-hollywood-is-turning-against-woody-allen.

Coates, Tyler. “Is Hollywood Finally Turning on Woody Allen?” Esquire, Esquire, 18 Jan. 2018, www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a15172088/woody-allen-dylan-farrow-sexual-assault-allegations/.

Farrow, Dylan. “Dylan Farrow: Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2017, www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-farrow-woody-allen-me-too-20171207-story.html.