Review
FEARLESS ACCOUNTS
Leaving Neverland: Unflinching testimony by Michael Jackson’s boy pals made for deeply unsettling viewing
Leaving Neverland
★★★★★
5
BOMBSHELL documentaries are few and far between.
There was Panorama’s Princess Diana interview and ITV’s expose of Jimmy Savile, but neither were quite as explosive as last night’s Leaving Neverland.
It’s the unflinching testimony from two men who claim that, as boys, they were subjected to years of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson.
And like Diana and Savile, we can never think of this icon in the same way again.
5
In a shrewd move, director Dan Reed simply let Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 40, tell their story in minute, toe-curling detail.
From the grooming of the boys and their families to the warped relationships he nurtured, it made for deeply unsettling viewing.
Never more so than when they recalled the darkest moments which took place behind the closed doors of his Neverland ranch.
5
After watching last night’s first episode, any open-minded viewer couldn’t fail to be persuaded they spoke the truth.
Even the greatest cynic – or any Jackson devotee willing to watch it - couldn’t deny their account was compelling.
Wade and James’s memories are just too similar to be dismissed. Could they be lying? Of course, but they’d need to be the world’s greatest actors or mastermind colluders.
5
Michael Jackson accuser Wade Robson tells Leaving Neverland doc he saw Jordan Chandler go into a bathroom with singer
Perhaps the most convincing evidence is in the second episode, where both men explain the aftermath of their abuse.
Admitting what happened to them tore their families apart, damaged their relationships and saw them mercilessly attacked by Jacko fans.
5
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They had so much to lose by confessing their abuse, but they’ve made no financial gain by taking part.
The only criticism of the documentary is that it doesn’t allow the Jackson camp much airtime to respond.
And fans will continue to argue that the man himself isn’t around to defend himself – though he’d struggle to put up a believable defence even if he were.
Alive or not, Leaving Neverland sounds the death knell for Jackson’s reputation.
Michael Jackson accuser Wade Robson tells Leaving Neverland doc how King of Pop penned creepy 'Little One' lullaby for him
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