It’s been salaciously described as “the movie Hollywood doesn’t want you to see”, and while this sounds like marketing hyperbole, An Open Secret’s rocky road to the big screen suggests it might not be too far from the truth.
The film, a documentary about the sexual abuse of child actors in the entertainment industry, has struggled to gain distribution, been rejected by numerous festivals and received cuts to excise some of the more litigious content. Its US release is now moving forward this summer to 5 June, and an out-of-festival screening at Cannes took place this week to appeal to international buyers.
Director Amy Berg, who previously explored child abuse within the Catholic church in the Oscar-nominated Deliver Us From Evil, has made an unrefined yet compelling film that makes allegations of a paedophile ring in Hollywood that preyed on young boys eager to make it in the industry. A group of managers, agents, publicists and directors would manipulate youthful ambition to their advantage, associating sexual activity with career progression.
What Berg does is bravely hand over the details to the audience, naming the accusers without reticence. What the complainants do, with even more courage, is refuse to hide behind pixels or fake names, sharing their difficult stories on camera. It’s shocking and inflammatory stuff, revealing a grim network of abuse, centering on interconnected industry names who would host parties where drugs and alcohol would be used to get what they wanted.
What’s even more disturbing than the acts described is the aftermath. The long-term damage to the boys who grew up with addictions and/or psychological difficulties is devastating and in one particular case, life threatening. The film also details the surprisingly muted effects on the paedophiles in question. Both the legal system and film industry have failed to protect these boys and punish the predators who molested them. There seems to be a strange legal and industry apathy towards such crimes, and it’s this that the film hopes to change.
In Hollywood, convicted and registered sex offenders are still allowed to work with children and, chillingly, the film reveals that some of the men named in the film are still doing so. As an important call for change within the industry, it’s hugely effective. As a documentary, it’s often a bit rough around the edges with a few questionable choices (including a rather sappy song at the end, and a set of interviewees so wide that it often gets confusing).
But it’s still an important piece of journalism, and as it states at the beginning, all profits are being given to a foundation set up to ensure stricter regulations in film, so the focus always remains on the greater good. Given the film’s incendiary content, especially in its final stretch (the textual update on what has since happened, or rather, not happened, to the men in the film is enough of an indictment), expect to hear more on the film and its effects on the industry over the coming months. Whether Hollywood likes it or not.
