Leaving Neverland

About Leaving Neverland

'Leaving Neverland' is a 2019 British-American documentary directed and produced by Dan Reed. It presents the personal accounts of two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege they were sexually abused as children by the singer Michael Jackson.

The first part of the documentary depicts the childhood experiences of Robson and Safechuck with Jackson, who befriended them at ages seven and ten, respectively, while the latter half focuses explicitly on the alleged sexual abuse they claim to have suffered.

Making / Production

The documentary was produced by Amos Pictures and was released by Channel 4 and HBO in early March 2019. 'Leaving Neverland' was made without the participation of the Jackson estate, which condemned the movie in advance of its premiere.

Actors

• Wade Robson: Himself - The main character who alleges that Michael Jackson abused him as a child.
• James Safechuck: Himself - The second main character who also alleges suffering abuse from Jackson.
• Michael Jackson: Archived Footage - Featured in the documentary through archive footage but is not a part of the movie cast.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film features meticulous, graphic accounts of the sexual activities the two boys claim to have had with Jackson, with Robson and Safechuck each speaking in calm detail about their experiences.
• In the wake of the documentary's premiere, several radio stations worldwide removed Jackson's music from their playlists.
• Michael Jackson's Estate filed a 100 million dollar lawsuit against HBO over the film.

Awards

The documentary was critically acclaimed and earned a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

Quotes

• Wade Robson: "I want to be able to speak the truth... as loud as I had to speak the lie for so long."
• James Safechuck: "Secrets will eat you up. You feel so alone."

Music, Soundtrack

• The documentary includes various Michael Jackson songs.
• The ominous and brooding score is by Chad Hobson.