Allen v Farrow, review: this documentary series has already picked its side

Woody Allen has never been charged with sexually abusing his adopted daughter, Dylan. That is a fact worth mentioning, because you won’t find many references to it in Allen v Farrow (Sky Documentaries). This glossy series makes compelling viewing – so compelling that you have to keep reminding yourself it is only telling one side of the story, that of Mia Farrow. A more accurate title would have been “Farrow and Friends”.

Pointing this out does not put me in the Allen camp. It’s plain to anyone who has watched his films that the man appears fixated with teenage girls.

Part of the film dealt with Allen’s relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, one of Farrow’s daughters, which is about as grubby as it gets while staying within the boundaries of the law. Dylan Farrow appears throughout, describing with vivid recall her childhood relationship with Allen. She adored him, yet found his attention overwhelming. Family friends and a psychologist noted that his interest in her was unhealthy. “I was always in his clutches,” she said, while the programme showed us a video of her perched on Allen’s knee. “He was always hunting me.”

Mia Farrow took a lot of home videos, and one shown here for the first time featured Dylan describing the sexual assault that allegedly took place in the attic of the family’s home in Connecticut. A babysitter also reported an allegation that Allen was behaving disturbingly with Dylan that day. The adult Dylan is a clear and convincing witness, and her story has never wavered.

Building the documentary around Mia Farrow is where the problem lies. That we are exclusively hearing her version is evident from the opening titles, more suited to a fictional drama, featuring an exquisite dolls’ house. It turns out to be a dolls’ house that Farrow bought and decorated, her “home within a home”. From that point on she directs the narrative, and is never scrutinised.

The Soon-Yi story provides context, but there is no real sense of how toxic the atmosphere must have been – Farrow discovered explicit Polaroids of Soon-Yi in Allen’s apartment only a few months before the sexual abuse allegations.

Allen’s camp claim that Farrow was so enraged that she coached Dylan into her confession (which Farrow denies). Dylan’s supportive siblings appear on screen; her brother Moses, who backs Allen against Farrow, declined to take part.

Allen is represented here through the audiobook of his 2020 memoir, Apropos of Nothing. He continues to deny the allegations and has dismissed this documentary as a “shoddy hit piece”. It is better than that. But the film-makers have picked their side.

Keep up to date will all things Line of Duty and sign-up for our weekly newsletter