Review: ‘An Open Secret’ Spotlights Child Sexual Abuse in Hollywood
You may miss a few moments of “An Open Secret,”
either while looking away during its unsettling stories or closing your
eyes in frustration. This potent documentary elicits those kinds of
reactions.
Directed by Amy Berg (“Deliver Us From Evil”),
the film centers on a handful of young men who say that as child actors
they were sexually assaulted by older men in the entertainment
industry. Manipulations, cover-ups and exploitations are recounted, and
in several cases accountability was weak; some of the culprits, we’re
told, still work in Hollywood.
The
victims and their parents defy the stereotype of hard-driving
dream-seekers. They come across as merely trusting, which led them to
rely on those who promised successful careers. Such faith was exploited
by men who later turned out to be predators.
“He
just told me it’s normal, like, this goes on all the time, this is what
you have to do,” one young man says he was told after being molested by
his manager. “Everybody does this.” Shame and fear of reprisals
initially led him to stay silent, and may be keeping more victims from
speaking out.
Ms. Berg connects that manager, Martin Weiss,
who pleaded no contest to two counts of child molestation in 2012, to a
string of other men in Hollywood who have also been accused or
convicted of similar crimes. Except for a secretly taped conversation
and some menacing music, she resists the urge to sensationalize. Such
composure is admirable, but further aggressive reporting is needed. This
topic deserves a tenacious call for answers.
Still,
“An Open Secret” is affecting, particularly when the victims recount
their experiences in voices that crack with emotion or pause with pain.
Even if you do look away, hearing them speak is enough.
“An Open Secret” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Explicit stories of sexual abuse.
AN OPEN SECRET
Opens on Friday June 12, 2015
Directed by Amy Berg
1 hour 37 minutes
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/movies/review-an-open-secret-spotlights-child-sexual-abuse-in-hollywood.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150611&nlid=32999454&tntemail0=y&_r=0
Directed by Amy Berg
1 hour 37 minutes
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/movies/review-an-open-secret-spotlights-child-sexual-abuse-in-hollywood.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150611&nlid=32999454&tntemail0=y&_r=0