Leaving Neverland Part II

This documentary was directed by Dan Reed, it centers primarily around two people, James

Safechuck and Wade Robson who are former child companions of Michael Jackson himself.

This documentary covers much more than the abuse. The story follows interviews with

Safechuck and Robson, as well as their mothers, wives, and siblings to give a wider perspective

of the abuse and the aftermath of it. The two mean state and identify throughout the documentary

the time when Michael Jackson said they’d go to jail for the rest of their lives if they spoke about

what was happening. The documentary also goes into how this experience has caused

psychological damage to them and the people around them. Michael Jackson was one of the most

famous celebrities who ever lived. “Leaving Neverland” portrays him as a serial predator, with

photographs and victims of child molestation. Most of the photos were seen to be taken during

the visits Wade Robson and James Safechuck had at Michael Jackson ranch, Neverland.

“Leaving Neverland “has these boys all grown up in about their 30s describing each of their

relationships with Michael when they were kids and how he sexually abused them. The

Documentary suggests that these two boys were not the only victims as well. In “Leaving

Neverland,” the testimony of Wade Robson and James Safechuck is quite convincing. Michael

Jackson was put under investigation and eventually, an arrest warrant was issued on counts of

child molestation. In November of 2003, Michael was under arrest which shocked the world, he

faced “7 charges committing lude acts with a child under 14 and 2 charges for giving the child an

intoxication agent for the purpose of molestation.”. His verdict for the chargers was not guilty,

ultimately due to facts and insufficient evidence of the case.

After watching this documentary, I had a lot of mixed feelings. I had heard of the documentary

when it resurfaced on Netflix but never got around to watching it. I didn’t understand why one of
the jurors had to bring up the finger-snapping thing. She said, “I disliked it intensely when she

snapped her fingers at us, that’s when I thought don’t snap your fingers at me, lady”. I see it as

that statement in a way tries to mock or make fun of the mother and everyone laughs, she even

winks to the camera which is quite unprofessional. On the other hand, I also believe that Michael

ultimately lured Wade into his testimony during the dinner that had, showing wade how

devastated he was which Wade says himself “which built my conviction even that much more to

save him”.

Resources

Adams, Sam. “The Most Revealing Thing in the New Michael Jackson Doc Isn't the

Allegations.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 28 Jan. 2019, slate.com/culture/2019/01/leaving-

neverland-review-michael-jackson-documentary-sundance-abuse.html.
Films Media Group. (2019). Leaving neverland: Part 2. Films On Demand.

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=151869&xtid=204415.

Hipes, Patrick. “Court Revives 'Leaving Neverland' Pair's Michael Jackson Lawsuits.” Deadline,

Deadline, 4 Jan. 2020, deadline.com/2020/01/michael-jackson-abuse-lawsuits-revived-

california-james-safechuck-wade-robson-1202820412/.