Dude corner here with a somber post :(
Now that the conversation about iconic filmmaker Woody Allen being an abuser has become so prevalent and in my face in a way where I can no longer ignore it, it’s come to my attention that he is a monster, and really, I just wish someone had warned me earlier.
Ever since I saw the new docu-series about Woody and how he allegedly sexually assaulted his girlfriend’s child before marrying her other child, I’ve had to make the mature decision to renounce my former hero. This news that was just revealed about him is so upsetting and horrible to me as someone who has enjoyed his wonderful films all my adult life.
I believe Dylan Farrow and think Woody is an absolute piece of shit now, but I can’t help but wish I could have known sooner.
Of course, Dylan’s account has been consistent for as long as I’ve known who Woody Allen is, and I guess I sort of knew about it, but I was maybe conflating it with the Soon-Yi thing? Or like, I’m pretty sure we all thought it was a lie, right? Or it just sort of wasn’t a thing? I just wish I could go back in time and have someone communicate the information that has always been available to me in a way that made me take it seriously.
In the past, my female friends would often get uncomfortable when I started talking about my love for Woody Allen’s work, but they would typically just change the subject either immediately or after I argued against whatever they tried to say. Clearly, this is a blameless situation, but I will just say that if they had made me listen to them more effectively, I wouldn’t be so shocked at this current bombshell of no new news.
While I may have my regrets about other people’s insufficient actions in the past, I’m at least glad that I took the initiative to be sentient during this unmissable cultural shift in our framing of Woody Allen, and I’m also glad I have the cognitive ability to separate the art from the artist so I can still watch enjoy such awesome films as To Rome With Love. Say what you will, but the guy is just a brilliant mind.
To everyone else, do better!
