In 1977, Roman Polanski was arrested after having sex with and providing drugs to a 13 year old Samantha Geimer in Los Angeles. She had gone with her mother to do a photo shoot with the famed director for a magazine. The mother leaves Samantha alone with Polanski and they have sex. The lawyers come to a plea without jail time. Judge Rittenband using questionable methods orders a 90 days psychiatric evaluation in prison. After serving 42 days, he is released. With favorable reports, he expected probation but the judge is under pressure to impose a heavier sentence. In 1978, he left for Europe and has not yet returned to America.
The overriding question for me is, "Did he have sex with a 13 year old girl?". At the end of the day, he did the crime and he spent 42 days in protected custody. It's not the biggest injustice ever. In fact, I don't see it as that harsh. The most revealing element is the incompetent judge. He is worst than judge Ito but I doubt he's the worst. The movie dives into Polanski's troubled life but it doesn't have him explaining himself. He is an enigma in this movie.
The overriding question for me is, "Did he have sex with a 13 year old girl?". At the end of the day, he did the crime and he spent 42 days in protected custody. It's not the biggest injustice ever. In fact, I don't see it as that harsh. The most revealing element is the incompetent judge. He is worst than judge Ito but I doubt he's the worst. The movie dives into Polanski's troubled life but it doesn't have him explaining himself. He is an enigma in this movie.