Music plays a big role in our lives and some artists manage to make such an impact that almost everyone knows them. That was even more the case in the pre-internet era. Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson were the superstars who you didn’t hear about for a long time and when they released a new album, it was a real event. It is an era that we have largely left behind us. Access to the life of an artist is just a few clicks away. Videos, photos and interview can be found in abundance. That was not the case at the end of the 1980s and when Michael Jackson released Bad the whole world listened. On its first day, half a million copies were sold and his video was shown non-stop on MTV.
It impressed 5-year-old Wade Robson, who lived in Australia. He studied his movements and perfected the way he imitated it. When his mother heard that there was a dance competition where you could win a meeting with Jackson, she decided that he could participate. He won and stood on stage with The King of Pop, his idol. Then he stayed in touch. Around the same time, James Safechuck was chosen as Jackson’s opponent in a Pepsi commercial. The two connected and a friendship developed. Michael Jackson regularly visited their small house and James’ parents almost saw him as an extra child. James was even allowed to go on tour (together with his mother) and was dancing on stage every night. What started as a close friendship for both these children, where they received a lot of attention and access to extravagant places, turned into a nightmare that had an impact not only on the boys themselves, but also on their families.
In this two-part, four-hour, documentary, Wade Robson and James Safechuck explain in great detail how they met Jackson, how their friendship grew, and how Jackson eventually abused them for many years. A superstar who used his star status to get closer to families and took the time to slowly pull the children away from their parents. The mothers tell how they initially did not allow Jackson to sleep in the same bed as their children, but that actually changed over time. The terrible thing is that they never realized anything and now that they cannot forgive themselves. Wade and James have for years denied that they had been sexually abused (partly because of the way Jackson had talked to them and the way the felt about the relationship they had with him), in court. Yet at some point, after the death of Jackson, a breaking point came and they finally starting coming to terms with what they experienced.
Leaving Neverland does not focus on the star status of Jackson, but purely on the stories that the two men and their family have to tell, about what they have all experienced. Every horrific detail is pointed out and after seeing this documentary it is hard to believe in Jackson’s innocence, even though he can no longer defend himself. The criticism that many people have about the film, namely that Robson and Safechuck now tell their stories for the money and always supported Jackson before, feels unjustified. If only they would be the focus, it would be understandable, but if you hear their mothers, wives and family tell you with a lot of emotion what they are struggling with and what has been destroyed, it is hard to imagine that these men have a motive other than telling the truth. It is up to everyone to draw their own conclusion, but the fact is that after seeing Leaving Neverland you will never listen to Michael Jackson’s music in the same way again.
[score8]