I was very disturbed by your ...
Question: I was very disturbed
by your article supporting Roman Polanski, most particularly, your trivialization of charges against him for the rape of a minor. First of all, I read the original reports, including allegations that he drugged her. But, even if that was not the case and no other substances besides alcohol was involved, a 13-year-old can
not give consent as I am sure both you and Mr. Polanski are well aware of. At best, he got a young girl drunk and committed statutory rape. At worst, he drugged her and raped her. Neither scenario seems to concern you during your glamorization of this pedophile. I really don't care how gifted a purported "genius" is. Nothing ever justifies the violation of another person's body, most especially a child's.
Answer: Is it too soon for me to go on vacation again? For the record, it is possible to praise a documentary without praising the subject of said film. I was not "supporting" Roman Polanski by giving the HBO documentary
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired a positive review, and if it appears that I was in any way glamorizing his sordid past in that very brief write-up, I regret that. While I would not want to assume that someone who took such a tone in this question hadn't actually watched the film in question before lashing out, but just in case, the documentary does not so much approve of Polanski's actions as it puts this incident in context of his tragic life. The film goes on to interview the now-adult victim, and even she agrees Polanski was ill-served by the judge in this case. It's a fascinating movie, in part because it objectively asks you to make your own conclusions without being rigidly judgmental itself. It's a very troubling subject, to be sure, and I may have done it a disservice by trying to analyze it in such a small space in that week's round-up.
