To me, this movie is perfection.

Sorry, this movie sucks

Good concept, poorly executed.

Awesome Movie

Pedophilia! Shining legal star of our times! I think it is worse to be a pedophile in the anglo-saxon world then a murderer. Hack, murderers are wanted and desired to be sent to the wars in the Middle East these days, ah, well since they are the good guys, like an American Sniper, let us make pedophiles real monsters! Sufficient to say that those people receive harsh sentences and they are well mistreated in jails all over the world both by jailers and the inmates.Ms. Zenovich explores probably one of the most known cases in the world as far as pedophilia goes. Her documentary is a masterpiece, by all means, but as I understand it had Roman Polanski arrested in Switzerland, and even now if I understand he is under investigation in Poland as he is making his newest film. I am not sure did she intended for him to be hunted again? It is for her to answer.The whole case was ridiculous, by the twist of fate, if he stayed in the USA and got sentenced, he could of been sent to the same prison where murderers of his pregnant wife are serving their life sentences. I am glad that he escaped and I scream from the top of my lungs LEAVE HIM ALONE! Didn*t he suffer enough? He is a survivor of Auschwitz for Gods sake! All in all I recommend this film strongly since pedophilia is getting such attention these days, and documentary is very well done albeit I think it hurted Mr. Polanski.

A wonderful look at corruption and justice, even if it's justice we don't agree with. Putting Polanski's crimes to one side, there is no denying he is an exceptional filmmaker. He is able to address a darkness many hope never to experience. It's very easy to see Polanski as a coward that ran from sentencing, but we also have a fascinating story of a judge hungry for fame. That cares more about peoples opinion of him, than he does keeping his word. It's a fascinating battle where everyone appears to be in the wrong, and the two lawyers seem to be the most honest of the bunch. It's a great watch, just for all of the different reactions it can evoke, with Polanski's troubled and harrowing life as a backdrop for greater tragedies to come.

For those who want a quick snapshot of the entire hullabaloo surrounding acclaimed director Roman Polanski and the slew of charges against him, one for having sex with a minor of 13 years, then this documentary by Marina Zenovich will present everything on a silver platter in digestible portions, though with any documentary, objectivity sometimes gets a little bit skewed. If you ask me for an opinion, I'm still a firm believer of serving time if done the crime, and under an imperfect system, there are always instances where we see the rich and the famous escape jail terms, like in Law Abiding Citizen which preached that truth is only what you can prove in a court of law.In presenting facts and the case itself, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired did a brilliant job in establishing the premise and providing that broad background of the director and his life, which seemed to have been rooted in tragedy from his childhood days during the Holocaust, and including the senseless murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate under the hands of the Charles Manson family. Clips from his iconic films were also included, and parallels somehow uncannily drawn from his darker films to mirror the darker days of his life, which worked in emphasizing his twisted state of mind if you're standing on that side of the fence.Zenovich also spent considerable time painting the picture of the media frenzy which surrounded Polanski during his younger heydays, and especially during the trial, where a distinction was made between the European and American press, one still fascinated by yet another twist and turn in his life, while the latter firmly demonizing a stranger in their midst, whose demeanour and physical built made it almost perfect as that classical villain out to exploit the meek. It's a media circus built around the director's reputation, which served as a double edged sword according to some as it is this repute that allowed the sensationalism to hit the roof in terms of selling papers.What's more intriguing in this documentary, is how Zenovich assembled and presented the crux of the film, that on the appointment and backgrounds of the legal eagles handling the case, with talking head interview segments with the lawyers involved. It's a pity that the judge Laurence J Rittenband was not included in modern day interviews because of his passing, but from the archived clips, court documents and testimonies gathered, his is the key which probably made Polanski flee. After all, how can one trust a court presided by a judge with ulterior personal motives ranging from wanting to get the limelight from such a high profile case, to having personal emotions play such a huge part in deciding on punishment, and the benefits of lack thereof to personal reputation.It's down to Zenovich's skill in assembling the timeline of events, recounting court incidents and evidence that makes this documentary a compelling watch, especially when she launches into a tirade that questions the integrity of the judge through his gerrymandering of the entire legal process and the perversion of justice, and how a judge, competent or otherwise, holds plenty of cloud over the proceedings and punishment, despite flip-flopping on bargains and promises made.It's been decades since that faithful day of the deed, and both the director and the child back then had already moved on in their lives. It's quite clear that both want to put this episode behind them with even the victim forgiving Polanski, and public opinion as well as that of peers are divided between forgiveness and punishment nonetheless, it's interesting to see how things will develop hereon, after all it has been left hanging in the balance already for so long. Like I mentioned, this documentary somehow portrayed Polanski as a victim of an inconsistent court process yes, but you cannot deny that a crime is a crime, and one has to face the music, famous personality or not.

The title "Wanted and Desired" indicates empathy toward Polanski: He's the naughty fugitive, despicable yet playfully, passionately attractive. Perhaps that was the original aim of director Zenovich - to provide a celluloid defense of the long-exiled director, an apologia and plea of forgiveness for what Hollywood "heavyweight" Harvey Weinstein calls the "so-called crime". But the documentary ends up quite ambiguous, indicating perhaps, that review of the case against Polanski forced Zenovich to change her mind.And I think that shift was triggered when Zenovich encountered Polanski's victim... the woman now and especially the frightened 13-year-old she was three decades ago. The film covers, extensively, her grand jury testimony, in which she testifies she resisted his advances and asked him to call her mother before he drugged, raped and sodomized her. In 1978, L.A. prosecutors allowed him to plead to lesser charges to spare her what likely would be a torturous cross-examination. Did you know that? His crime against a child should be the only issue here; she's the one who was penalized, severely, for the crimes of being young, fresh and physically beautiful.In a Tatler interview, Polanski said, "If I had killed somebody, it wouldn't have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… f—ing, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to f— young girls. Juries want to f— young girls. Everyone wants to f— young girls!" As the "Wanted and Desired" title suggests, there is an assumption of envy toward the director. From his defenders and from his own words, there is current among them belief that his outraged accusers - all of us common folk - are jealous of his ability to seduce innocence, and have his way. Perhaps Polanski's victim was, as the European press pictured her in 1978, a young Lolita as enamored with him as he was of her body. Perhaps what's actually corrupt and hypocritical here is our own bourgeois morality, our belief that a middle-aged man raping an adolescent is... criminal, if not evil.Today, there is concerted effort to downplay his crime, to rehabilitate a man who is unarguably a great director. Even his victim has pleaded his case, asking the courts, as he does, for time served as penalty. But what about other victims of future predators, perhaps encouraged that they can evade punishment by vacating the country a few decades?Polanski's gifts for projecting his angels and demons onto humanity at large perhaps feed his artistry, but not every man is a pedophile predator pouncing 13-year-olds, or even wants to be. And perhaps there are a few judges and juries who don't want to f--- children. Remember, in 1978, he was a famous rich man in his 40s, she was a scared middle-school student barely in her teens. And this is crucial: She resisted his advances before he drugged, raped and sodomized her. If being appalled and repulsed proves I'm a provincial bumpkin, I am very, very much a provincial bumpkin.A good portion of the film concerns what has become Polanski's major point of defense: That the court reneged on a deal to free him with about seven weeks behind bars, a term he'd already served. And it's true: A fame-struck L.A. judge did betray this negotiation. So... was Polanski treated unfairly by the L.A. Superior Court? Yes. Was his crime heinous and should he be punished for it? Yes. Polanski is a cinematic genius and disgusting child rapist - truly, a renaissance man.