A SON SPEAKS OUT By Moses Farrow




I’m a very private person and not at all interested in public attention. But, given the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit.

I was present for everything that transpired in our house before, during, and after the alleged event. Now that the public hysteria of earlier this year has died down a little and I have some hope that the truth can get a fair hearing, I want to share my story.



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August 4, 1992 was a warm, sunny day in Bridgewater, Connecticut, but in our family’s country home, Frog Hollow, there was a chill in the air. My mother, Mia Farrow, was out shopping with her close friend since childhood, Casey Pascal. I was 14 at the time, and home that day with my little sister Dylan, who had just turned seven, my four-year-old brother Satchel (who now goes by the name Ronan) and Casey’s three kids. We were being supervised by our nanny, Kristi, as well as Casey’s nanny, Alison, and our French tutor, Sophie. It was a full house.

There was another grown-up in the TV room that day, sitting on the floor, watching “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” with the rest of us – Woody Allen. On the surface, it was not unlike his previous visits to our country home. But my mother had put all of us on notice not to let him out of our sight. She was understandably furious: seven months earlier she had learned that he was in an intimate relationship with my 21-year-old sister Soon-Yi, after discovering Polaroids of her in Woody’s apartment. For months now, she had been drilling it into our heads like a mantra: Woody was “evil,” “a monster,” “the devil,” and Soon-Yi was “dead to us.” This was the constant refrain, whether or not Woody was around. (So often did she repeat it that Satchel would announce to one of our nannies, “My sister is fucking my father.” He had just turned four.) My mother was our only source of information about Woody – and she was extremely convincing.

As the oldest child at the house that summer day, I took Mia’s warnings very seriously. I thought my job was to support my mother and I desperately wanted her approval, as did all of her children. I had also learned repeatedly that to go against her wishes would bring horrible repercussions. I would keep my eyes on Woody until she returned. But secretly, I was torn.

To help explain why, I want to give you a little background about our family.

Even though Woody and Mia never married – and he never lived with us or even stayed the night at our apartment in the city – he would often come over around 6:30 in the morning, bringing two newspapers and a bunch of muffins. I would wake up before the others, and so he and I would sit at the kitchen table together for breakfast. While he read The New York Times, I’d grab the Post and go straight to the comics and word puzzles. We’d spend this peaceful time together before waking Dylan. He’d make her a couple of slices of toast with cinnamon or honey and be there as she ate her breakfast. He hardly seemed like a monster to me.

My older siblings were all either biological or adopted children of Mia and her ex-husband AndrΓ© Previn. In 1985 Mia adopted Dylan. Two years later she and Woody had their only biological child, Satchel. At the age of 49, Woody seemed to delight in his new role of father.

Mia had adopted me, her seventh child, as a single parent in 1980. In 1992 she successfully petitioned to allow Woody to co-adopt both Dylan and me, writing to the adoption agency, detailing what an excellent father he was. I was thrilled when Woody officially became my father, since he had already taken on that role in my life. We played catch and chess, fished, and shot hoops. As the years went by, Satchel, Dylan and I were frequent visitors to his movie sets and his editing room. In the evenings, he’d come over to Mia’s apartment and spend time with us. I never once saw anything that indicated inappropriate behavior at any time.

Then, of course, the news of Woody and Soon-Yi went public – and everything changed. My mother insisted that we remove both of them from our lives, and we had no choice but to accept.

Even people who doubt Dylan’s claims of assault, often cling to Woody’s relationship with Soon-Yi as justification for their skepticism about him. The public attacks on Soon-Yi by complete strangers still stagger me, as does the general misinformation that so many people consider fact. She is not Woody’s daughter (adopted, step, or otherwise), nor is she developmentally challenged. (She got a master’s degree in special education from Columbia University!) And the claim that they started dating while she was underage is totally false.

In truth, Woody and Soon-Yi rarely even spoke during her childhood. It was my mother who first suggested, when Soon-Yi was 20, that Woody reach out and spend time with her. He agreed and started taking her to Knicks games. That’s how their romance started. Yes, it was unorthodox, uncomfortable, disruptive to our family and it hurt my mother terribly. But the relationship itself was not nearly as devastating to our family as my mother’s insistence on making this betrayal the center of all our lives from then on.

But the fatal dysfunction within my childhood home had nothing to do with Woody. It began long before he entered the picture and came straight from a deep and persistent darkness within the Farrow family.

It was common knowledge in Hollywood that my grandfather, the director John Farrow, was a notorious drinker and serial philanderer. There were numerous alcohol-fueled arguments between her parents, and Mia told me that she was the victim of attempted molestation within her own family. Her brother, my uncle John, who visited us many times when we were young, is currently in prison on a conviction of multiple child molestation charges. (My mother has never publicly commented on this or expressed concern about his victims.) My uncle Patrick and his family would often come by, but those visits could end abruptly as Mia and Patrick would often wind up arguing. Patrick would commit suicide in 2009.

My mother, of course, had her own darkness. She married 50-year-old Frank Sinatra when she was only 21. After they divorced, she moved in to live with her close friend Dory Previn and her husband AndrΓ©. When my mother became pregnant by AndrΓ©, the Previns’ marriage broke up, leading to Dory’s institutionalization. It was never spoken of in our home, of course, and not even known to me until a few years ago. But, as I look at it – as a licensed therapist as well as an eyewitness – it’s easy to see the seeds of dysfunction that would flourish within our own home.

It was important to my mother to project to the world a picture of a happy blended household of both biological and adopted children, but this was far from the truth. I’m sure my mother had good intentions in adopting children with disabilities from the direst of circumstances, but the reality inside our walls was very different. It pains me to recall instances in which I witnessed siblings, some blind or physically disabled, dragged down a flight of stairs to be thrown into a bedroom or a closet, then having the door locked from the outside. She even shut my brother Thaddeus, paraplegic from polio, in an outdoor shed overnight as punishment for a minor transgression.

Soon-Yi was her most frequent scapegoat. My sister had an independent streak and, of all of us, was the least intimidated by Mia. When pushed, she would call our mother out on her behavior and ugly arguments would ensue. When Soon-Yi was young, Mia once threw a large porcelain centerpiece at her head. Luckily it missed, but the shattered pieces hit her legs. Years later, Mia beat her with a telephone receiver. Soon-Yi’s made it clear that her desire was simply to be left alone, which increasingly became the case. Even if her relationship with Woody was unconventional, it allowed her to escape. Others weren’t so lucky.

Most media sources claim my sister Tam died of “heart failure” at the age of 21. In fact, Tam struggled with depression for much of her life, a situation exacerbated by my mother refusing to get her help, insisting that Tam was just “moody.” One afternoon in 2000, after one final fight with Mia, which ended with my mother leaving the house, Tam committed suicide by overdosing on pills. My mother would tell others that the drug overdose was accidental, saying that Tam, who was blind, didn’t know which pills she was taking. But Tam had both an ironclad memory and sense of spatial recognition. And, of course, blindness didn’t impair her ability to count.

The details of Tam’s overdose and the fight with Mia that precipitated it were relayed directly to me by my brother Thaddeus, a first-hand witness. Tragically, he is no longer able to confirm this account. Just two years ago, Thaddeus also committed suicide by shooting himself in his car, less than 10 minutes from my mother’s house.

My sister Lark was another fatality. She wound up on a path of self-destruction, struggled with addiction, and eventually died in poverty from AIDS-related causes in 2008 at age 35.

For all of us, life under my mother’s roof was impossible if you didn’t do exactly what you were told, no matter how questionable the demand.

The summer between first and second grades, she was having new wallpaper installed in the bedroom I slept in, across the hall from hers on the second floor of the Connecticut house. I was getting ready to go to sleep, when my mother came over to my bed and found a tape measure. She gave me a piercing look that stopped me in my tracks and asked if I had taken it, as she had been looking for it all day. I stood in front of her, frozen. She asked why it was on my bed. I told her I didn’t know, that perhaps a workman had left it there. She asked again and again and again.

When I didn’t give the answer she wanted, she slapped my face, knocking off my glasses. She told me I was lying and directed me to tell my brothers and sisters that I had taken the tape measure. Through my tears I listened to her as she explained that we would rehearse what should have happened. She would walk into the room and I would tell her I was sorry for taking the tape measure, that I had taken it to play with and that I would never do it again. She made me rehearse it at least a half-dozen times.

That was the start of her coaching, drilling, scripting, and rehearsing – in essence, brainwashing. I became anxious and fearful. Once, when I was given a new pair of jeans, I thought they would look cool if I cut off a couple of the belt loops. When Mia saw what I had done, she spanked me repeatedly and had me remove all my clothing, saying, “You’re not deserving of any clothes” and making me stand naked in the corner of her room, in front of my older siblings who had just returned from dinner with their father AndrΓ©. (After I spoke to People magazine in 2014 about how I was treated, Dylan called it a “betrayal” and said that I was “dead to” her. She later publicly dismissed my recollections of my childhood as “irrelevant.” This from a woman who now styles herself an “advocate for abuse victims.”)

Fighting back was not a viable option. One summer day, Mia accused me of leaving the curtains closed in the TV room. They had been drawn the day before when Dylan and Satchel were watching a movie. She insisted that I had closed them and left them that way. Her friend Casey had come over to visit and while they were in the kitchen, my mother insisted I had shut the curtains. At that point, I couldn’t take it anymore and I lost it, yelling, “You’re lying!” She shot me a look and took me into the bathroom next to the TV room.  She hit me uncontrollably all over my body. She slapped me, pushed me backwards and hit me on my chest, shouting, “How dare you say I’m a liar in front of my friend. You’re the pathological liar.” I was defeated, deflated, beaten and beaten down. Mia had stripped me of my voice and my sense of self. It was clear that if I stepped even slightly outside her carefully crafted reality, she would not tolerate it. It was an upbringing that made me, paradoxically, both fiercely loyal and obedient to her, as well as deeply afraid.

In short, it was not a happy home – or a healthy one. Which brings us back to August 4, 1992.

Strangers on Twitter pose me this question all the time: “You weren’t there to witness the assault, so how do you know it didn’t happen?” But how could anyone witness an assault if it never happened?

As the “man of the house” that day, I had promised to keep an eye out for any trouble, and I was doing just that. I remember where Woody sat in the TV room, and I can picture where Dylan and Satchel were. Not that everybody stayed glued to the same spot, but I deliberately made sure to note everyone’s coming and going. I do remember that Woody would leave the room on occasion, but never with Dylan. He would wander into another room to make a phone call, read the paper, use the bathroom, or step outside to get some air and walk around the large pond on the property.

Along with five kids, there were three adults in the house, all of whom had been told for months what a monster Woody was. None of us would have allowed Dylan to step away with Woody, even if he tried. Casey’s nanny, Alison, would later claim that she walked into the TV room and saw Woody kneeling on the floor with his head in Dylan’s lap on the couch. Really? With all of us in there? And if she had witnessed that, why wouldn’t she have said something immediately to our nanny Kristi? (I also remember some discussion of this act perhaps taking place on the staircase that led to Mia’s room. Again, this would have been in full view of anyone who entered the living room, assuming Woody managed to walk off with Dylan in the first place.) The narrative had to be changed since the only place for anyone to commit an act of depravity in private would have been in a small crawl space off my mother’s upstairs bedroom. By default, the attic became the scene of the alleged assault.

In her widely-circulated 2014 open letter in The New York Times, the adult Dylan suddenly seemed to remember every moment of the alleged assault, writing, “He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we’d go to Paris and I’d be a star in his movies. I remember staring at that toy train, focusing on it as it traveled in its circle around the attic. To this day, I find it difficult to look at toy trains.”

It’s a precise and compelling narrative, but there’s a major problem: there was no electric train set in that attic. There was, in fact, no way for kids to play up there, even if we had wanted to. It was an unfinished crawl space, under a steeply-angled gabled roof, with exposed nails and floorboards, billows of fiberglass insulation, filled with mousetraps and droppings and stinking of mothballs, and crammed with trunks full of hand-me-down clothes and my mother’s old wardrobes.

The idea that the space could possibly have accommodated a functioning electric train set, circling around the attic, is ridiculous. One of my brothers did have an elaborate model train set, but it was set up in the boys’ room, a converted garage on the first floor. (Maybe that was the train set my sister thinks she remembers?) Now, whenever I hear Dylan making a public statement about what allegedly happened to her that day when she was barely seven, I can only think of that imaginary train set, which she never brought up during the original investigation or custody hearing. Did somebody suggest to the adult Dylan that such a specific detail would make her story more credible? Or does she really believe she remembers this train “circling around the attic” the same way she says she remembers Woody’s whispered promises of trips to Paris and movie stardom (kind of odd enticements to offer a 7-year-old, rather than a new toy or a doll)? And all this apparently took place while those of us who promised to have our eyes trained on Woody were downstairs, seemingly oblivious to what was happening right above our heads?

Eventually, my mother returned with Casey and her newest adoptees, Tam and baby Isaiah. There were no complaints by the nannies, and nothing odd about Dylan’s behavior. In fact, Woody and Mia went out to dinner that night. After dinner, they returned to Frog Hollow and Woody stayed over in a downstairs bedroom – with, apparently, no abnormal behavior by Dylan, and no negative reports from any of the grown-ups.

The next morning, Woody was still at the house. Before he left, I briefly wandered into the living room and witnessed Dylan and Satchel sitting with him on the floor by a wall with a big picture window. The kids had a catalogue from a toy store and were marking off the toys they wanted him to bring back on his next visit. It was a cheerful, playful atmosphere – which would soon seem jarring compared to what Mia would allege happened less than a day before. Many years later, I once mentioned my recollection to Woody, and he said that he, too, remembered it quite vividly, telling me how he had told Satchel and Dylan to mark one or two toys each, but they had laughingly managed to check off virtually every toy in the catalogue. He remembers bringing it back to the city with him, with the intention of purchasing a few of the items they had checked. He told me he wound up holding onto that catalogue for years, having no idea that he would never see his daughter again.

Interestingly, it was only after Woody returned to the city that Mia would receive a phone call that would change our lives forever. It was from her friend Casey, who reported that her nanny Alison had witnessed Woody supposedly placing his head in Dylan’s lap on the sofa in the TV room.

When Monica, our long-term nanny who was out that day, returned to work the next day, I confided to her that I thought the story was made up. Monica, who had been with us for six years, would quit her job a few months later, saying that Mia was pressuring her to take her side and support the accusation.

It was Monica who later testified that she saw Mia taping Dylan describe how Woody had supposedly touched her in the attic, saying it took Mia two or three days to make the recording. In her testimony she said, “I recall Ms. Farrow saying to Dylan at that time, ‘Dylan, what did daddy do... and what did he do next?’ Dylan appeared not to be interested, and Ms. Farrow would stop taping for a while and then continue.” I can vouch for this, having witnessed some of this process myself. When another one of Dylan’s therapists, Dr. Nancy Schultz, criticized the making of the video, and questioned the legitimacy of the content, she too, was fired immediately by Mia. (My mother, for whom “loyalty” was hugely important, would also fire another long-term caretaker, Mavis, claiming that she was making statements against her.)

During the custody hearing, my mother kept stressing how we needed to stick together as a family. Frightened and beaten down, I, too, played my part. I even wrote a letter condemning Woody, saying that he had done something horrible and unforgivable, and had broken my dreams. I even read the letter for the news media that were now regularly gathered at the end of our driveway, knowing that doing so would earn my mother’s approval. That public denouncement of my father remains the biggest regret of my life.

Later that year, I remember many meetings with lawyers and an evaluation I went to in New Jersey. I am naturally shy and kept quiet until I finally felt the need to speak up. I told the evaluator that I felt stuck between my parents. Afterwards, I returned to my school and my mother called, screaming. “Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve destroyed my case! You need to call your lawyer and tell her you take back what you said, tell her that you recant your statements and want them stricken from the record.” I felt my stomach drop. When I next spoke to the lawyer, I repeated her words verbatim, “I take back what I said, I recant my statements and want them stricken from the record.” Again, the pattern held: I was forced to follow my mother’s script to prove my loyalty.

Even though she still lectured us about “staying together as a family,” at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, my mother sent me to boarding school in Connecticut against my wishes. I objected that I wanted to stay in New York; she didn’t care. My usefulness in the family drama had played itself out. I had made my statement against my father, my role was done, and I was sent away.

At the time, of course, I knew nothing about the six-month criminal investigation conducted by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale/New Haven Hospital, ordered by the Connecticut state police. But since this allegation was renewed a few years ago, I’ve seen the results of that investigation. It specifically concluded that “Dylan was not abused by Mr. Allen,” that her statements had a “rehearsed quality” and that they were “likely coached or influenced by her mother.” Those conclusions perfectly match my own childhood experience: coaching, influencing, and rehearsing are three words that sum up exactly how my mother tried to raise us. I know that Dylan has recently referred to this brainwashing theory as “spin” by our father – but it was nothing of the sort. It was not only the conclusion reached by a state-ordered investigation, it was the reality of life in our household.

That report put an end to any chance of criminal charges being brought against my father. A second, 14-month investigation by the New York State Department of Social Services, reached the same conclusion as Yale/New Haven: “No credible evidence was found that [Dylan Farrow] has been abused or maltreated.” Nevertheless, when a judge granted custody of Satchel and Dylan to Mia, at 15, I chose the path of least resistance, and also stayed with my mother.

In my mid-twenties, shortly after I graduated from my master’s program, I felt that I wanted to reach out to Woody, and communicated this to Mia. I’ll never forget how happy I felt when I received her return email saying she would support it, understanding my need for a father figure. That happiness was short-lived. Less than 24 hours later, she reconsidered, and wrote back, saying that she forbade me from making contact with “that monster.”

Several years later, I became estranged from my mother, but it has taken years of self-reflection, professional help and support from those I love – and who love me in return – for me to appreciate the sad truth of my childhood and of what my mother did to my siblings and me. I am grateful to have awakened to the truth of what happened to us – but disappointed that it took me this long to get here.

Meanwhile, though, my father continues to face wave after wave of unfair and unrelenting attacks from my mother and her surrogates, questioning why he has been “given a pass” all these years. But Woody was not given a pass. Quite the opposite. Mia’s accusation was fully investigated by two separate agencies and charges were never brought. Mia reached the end of the legal runway after it was determined that the abuse never occurred. But trial by media thrives on the lack of long-term memory and Twitter requires neither knowledge nor restraint.

To those who have become convinced of my father’s guilt, I ask you to consider this: In this time of #MeToo, when so many movie heavyweights have faced dozens of accusations, my father has been accused of wrongdoing only once, by an enraged ex-partner during contentious custody negotiations. During almost 60 years in the public eye, not one other person has come forward to accuse him of even behaving badly on a date, or acting inappropriately in any professional situation, let alone molesting a child. As a trained professional, I know that child molestation is a compulsive sickness and deviation that demands repetition. Dylan was alone with Woody in his apartment countless times over the years without a hint of impropriety, yet some would have you believe that at the age of 56, he suddenly decided to become a child molester in a house full of hostile people ordered to watch him like a hawk.

To the actors who have worked with my father and have voiced regret for doing so: You have rushed to join the chorus of condemnation based on a discredited accusation for fear of not being on the “right” side of a major social movement. But rather than accept the hysteria of Twitter mobs, mindlessly repeating a story examined and discredited 25 years ago, please consider what I have to say. After all, I was there – in the house, in the room – and I know both my father and mother and what each is capable of a whole lot better than you.

To my sister Dylan:  Like you, I believe in the power of speaking out. I have broken my silence about the abuse inflicted by our mother. My healing began only after getting away from her. And what she has done to you is unbearable. I wish you peace, and the wisdom to understand that devoting your life to helping our mother destroy our father’s reputation is unlikely to bring you closure in any kind of lasting way.

Finally, to my mother: One thing you always said you appreciated about me was my ability to listen. I listened to you for years and held your truth above all others. You once said to me, “It’s not healthy to hold onto anger.” Yet here we are, 26 years later. I’m guessing your next step will be to launch a campaign to discredit me for speaking out. I know it comes with the territory. And it’s a burden I am willing to bear.

But, after all this time, enough is enough. You and I both know the truth. And it’s time for this retribution to end.

Comments

  1. This is brilliant, thank you so much. I know you are speaking the truth. Mia weaponised child abuse.

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  2. Very brave, Moses. Hope you're heard.

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  3. Very brave and vivid testimony, Moses. I hope your relationship improves with your mother, if possible, and with your father. Did not realize the fate of your siblings, of which I am terribly sorry. Your writing came across as heartfelt and unambiguous. Thank you.

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  4. Thanks for your integrity and honesty.

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  5. Thnkyou..Confirms EVERYTHING my inner voice told me

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  6. Moses, I believe you and applaud this hard truth that you have been made to reveal.

    I regarding Mia’s brother, John Farrow, who is a convicted child molestor, and whom she whose case she had never mentioned:

    The Real Criminal in Mia Farrow’s Family: Her Brother, John, Serving 10 Years in Maryland Prison for Child Molestation

    http://www.showbiz411.com/2017/12/09/the-real-criminal-in-mia-farrows-family-her-brother-john-serving-10-years-in-maryland-prison-for-child-molestation



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  7. This is a moving and touching account of what have been your life’s most painful times. My thanks for sharing it. A form of mob rule is gathering across the new media environment. Calling out accusations that have been crafted to fuel uninformed online judgements is a valuable warning to society as a whole.

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  8. Good for you. May this madness now come to an end. But of course it probably won't. Too many people have taken their position, and they're in too deep to admit the truth.

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  9. Thanks for setting the record straight. I remember the original events as they unfolded and your account coincides with my impression at the time. Having made a movie with Mia earlier I felt deeply for her pain but the accusations against Woody seemed hysterical and wildly out of character. I thought of you kids and what you must be going through. Divorce is a form of insanity under most circumstances, and I readily sensed that Mia's pain of learning of Woody and Soon-Yi's "betrayal" could easily descend into madness.

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  10. Moses, I lived in the New Haven area at the time and knew people at the Yale Child Study Center who totally corroborated what you said. You have written such an eloquent essay - and I have re-posted it on Facebook and quoted it elsewhere. Bless you!

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  11. This was well written and gives me (a victim of both domestic and parental abuse) great pause. I d believe pedophelia is a sickness and not a "one time thing." In this never ending controversy ,that has always stuck out to me. I also tend to believe victims of abuse. In this case, It looks like every child has been a victim. One thing I know for sure. I would like Moses to be my therapist. My "mommy issues" seem pretty pale in comparison.

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  12. When the truth is spoken, you know it and this feels like it.

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  13. Your father is a very flawed individual he should have never married his ex partner's daughter, but I never believed the molestation accusation, so thank you for correcting the record.

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  14. That's one of the bravest posts I've seen. You stand to lose a lot by speaking out, but then you've lost so much already. Thank you for being true to yourself and standing up to the wave of hysteria.

    Warm regards.

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  15. I believe you. You presented a completely compelling case for your father. NOT GUILTY! Your father has been treated so unfairly. Hopefully you've brought him a modicum of relief and comfort by having the integrity and courage to share the horrific and genuine child abuse you suffered. I'm so sorry for that and how hard it must be to open up deep wounds with intimate details of intense pain, humiliation and guilt. God bless you.

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  16. I always suspected the accusations were coached by Mia, and were driven by revenge. Well done for speaking out at last!

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  17. Wow. Wow times infinity. Superb writing, and what subject matter to write about!

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  18. For what it's worth, you have my support and belief. As a human, I'm sorry you have had to endure this. Much love to you and your family.

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  19. Thank you for sharing your truth, I can't imagine that it was easy. I have always been a huge fan of your father and after seeing the documentary about him, it verified to me his innocence. Your assay also rings true and makes logical sense of the circumstances. My hope is that Dylan and Ronan someday understand the truth and find peace with their father.

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  20. Excellent article, persuasive, convincing, and heartbreakingly sad. And very brave.

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  21. You are brave man for coming forward. Cheers and good luck!!

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  22. I believe this guy 100%

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  23. Powerful Piece. I too have am witness to the repercussions the behavior a mother such as yours can have on a family. I'm about 17 years older than you and it still haunts me. I dearly hope that you, and all your family, find well deserved peace.

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  24. A chilling story. Thanks for writing this.

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  25. Wow. Very powerful. Hope your family gets the peace it deserves.

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  26. This is a powerful and brave act of love and self-redemption. Now whatever happens will ultimately be up to God. Just curious: did Mia ever once mention him?

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  27. I believe you, Moses. Mia Farrow was not a mother, she was a vicious and mentally ill tormentor. I feel sorry for Stachel/Ronan, who is brilliant but may never accept the truth. And he probably is Frank Sinatra's son, which makes Mia Farrow guilty of adultery at least twice. Good luck.

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  28. Thank you, Moses, for your courage to speak out at length for Woody. I've read dozens of news pieces from the time of the allegation onward and all evidence overwhelmingly supports your dad. One fact I missed, however, that others might have, too, is the timing of your mother's posting the handwritten sign accusing Woody of molestation three weeks before the alleged incident—when Woody was visiting Frog Hollow to celebrate Dylan's birthday. I assumed Mia posted the sign sometime after August 4, but the fact that she did it before suggests she had already chosen the crime she was going to try to pin on him later.

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  29. Hey Moses, good job. Finally, someone is speaking up to set the record straight. Woody Allen has been slandered and libeled long enough. Two courts of law have found the charges against him baseless, yet the sullying of his name goes on and on. It is great that Moses, who was there, is going public to refute these bogus allegations. Likewise, Woody has taken a lie-detector test and Mia has refused to do the same. What more is there to say? Thanks Moses for speaking the truth, for the truth will make you free!

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  30. THANK you for speaking truth to slander! Very brave - and extremely welcome!

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  31. This is a very powerful and sad account. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am so sorry that you and your siblings have gone through such trauma - and your father, too. I hope that your sister and mother will reach peace with themselves eventually.

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  32. It is brave for you to publish this. The evidence is very compelling and it has always been. I’m glad Mr. Allen has remained constant on this matter and has never contradicted himself. It must be hard to focus on his art when half-assed sleuths come with unilateral and misinformed versions of events. I admire that he stays true to himself, his art, and what he enjoys in life.

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  33. As for Mia Farrow, there was always something a bit “off.” The “Little Girl Lost” image she honed for years just didn’t ring true. It is revelatory to hear of her adulterous affair with Andre Previn leading to his wife’s institutionalization. One can’t help ponder the mental state women such as Mia Farrow and Angelina Jolie when considering their true motives: childrens’ welfare or preservation of ego once they are scorned in ways real or imagined? Perhaps there is a field of psychological study for you: The Mother Teresa Syndrome as it Relates to Unstable Actresses.

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  34. Moses...I so hoped you would share the truth. Thank you. I understand such dysfunction (and sly NPD types) and how layered and paradoxical it can be and how machiavellian such people are and simple minded and lynch mob many on social media can be. I've been fighting for Woody online and have suspected all you described regarding your sibs deaths. I truly hope people read this!!!!

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  35. Sounds like the truth to me.

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  36. I believe every single word of what you've written. This has been clear to me for years. Good for you, Moses.

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  37. Thank you. Thank you for your truth. Most of all, Thank you from a woman who has seen a family torn in half by the very same lies, coaching and brain washing.

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  38. Bravo! Moses you are very brave and you have done the right thing.

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  39. This was really very brave of you to write. God bless and I hope you and your siblings find some form of healing. Condolences on the loss of your relatives who couldn't push through and make it the way you did.

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  40. This rings true. I'm so sorry you and your siblings went through this.

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  41. You did the right thing, don't let the internet make you forget that.

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  42. I read this and feel sorry that all this happened to you everyone deserves a childhood without drama you had a damaged parent from some form of childhood abuse!
    She must have been molested by parents or family member.
    You might never know what it was but my family has major issues and it came out in religion that children were property and anything done to them was okay!
    They could be killed sold or molested! Bearings were standard behavior.
    Mia could have been part of that generation!
    I missed it but has a father that was beaten down by his dad!

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  43. I applaud you Moses. I have never believed the accusations against your father.

    What you have written seems far more credible than anything Dylan has said (I believe she probably believes her falsehoods/is deluded) and explains things to me. eg Mia/Frank 21/50; Soon Yi/Woody 20/55. Mia and the Previns. Mia's unhealthy criticism of Woody to the children in the home and her treatment of Soon Yi before and after her relationship with Woody became public (if Soon Yi was a victim of abuse why didn't Mia act more caringly towards her daughter?) The suicides of Mia's children. Mia's family background re abuse. Mia's need to adopt so many children, especially those needier than most; why did she feel the need to do that? I come from a family of eight healthy children and my parents barely coped.I must also say that it seems pretty obvious to me that Ronan/Satchel is Frank Sinatra's biological son. He looks so like him now and nothing like Woody. Why is this (possible) lie ongoing in this day and age? Who is pushing it, Mia or Dylan?

    I come from a family in which a depressed sister accused my father of sexual abuse based, I believe, on false memories. This came about after hospital therapists interpreted a 'vision' my sister had of a man coming towards her following a 're-birthing' at a New Age Festival. That accusation unleashed a toxic poison that has all but destroyed our family connections. I have been condemned for speaking up on my beliefs, it has cost me. But truth is important - be open to being persuaded otherwise, but ultimately stick to your beliefs.

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  44. I believe you, Moses, 100 percent. It took a lot of courage for you to speak out and I want you to know I'm on your side, and Woody's.
    Sincerely,
    Lisa

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  45. be strong, u seem awesome...ox

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  46. Wow just wow I had no idea, this is a very sad story. I hope you can heal and have happy healthy life. Thank you for being brave enough to share your side-the world needs to hear this side and learn from it

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  47. Moses, I find your message more detailed, insightful, and believable than anything else to date. I have long been interested in this fascinating case and have considered Woody's guilt possible for the reasons you mention. Never have I or presumably anyone else seen such a convincing, believable statement in his defense. Dylan may have more to say, but thank you for setting my mind to rest on this.

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  48. Brave, smart, open-hearted, open-minded. Good for you, brave soul. Hang in there. ♥️You matter, the truth matters. You are heard.

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  49. Thank you for sharing your truth. I think your father made some profoundly selfish, poor choices in regards to dating/marrying his lover's daughter, but that doesn't make him a child molester or predator. If people didn't want to work for him on that account, that he only further undermined a shaky family dynamic with horrendous consequences, then so be it. But to say they won't work with him because he's accused of molestation by a disturbed woman who has clearly been manipulated over the course of her life by her mother, is grossly unjust. Reputations matter.

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  50. Moses, I like this piece. Truth will out. Peace be with you.

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  51. You're so very brave. Best wishes to you.

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  52. Well done on speaking out, for revealing the truth about this ugly case of character assassination. Mia Farrow has much to answer for.

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  53. Your journey sounds like it has been long and painful. So much respect for you.

    And thank you for writing this.

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  54. This is a different level of bravery. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm sorry for how people are about to respond to it. I send you kindness and my reflection that your voice rings of honesty. Not every story is the same. You can support #metoo and believe that there are two sides to a story. If your account it true, it needed to be said.

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  55. A powerful essay.

    Sorry for the pain you and your family has suffered. It is remarkable how you not only endured but, become an intelligent, caring and principled man.

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  56. wow.. bravo. i dont mean to bash mia, but i did research her bio a while back and there are some childhood trauma issues in her past and resulting behaviors ie determined in a fanatically way , obsessive and compulsive and some other character traits that she developed early on that lead me to believe what you are saying is true at least about her character . yet what i read in her bios also has to be true. i always loved mia as she portrayed herself to the world she is after all a great actress loved her in bullets over Broadway. i also love woody admire his work as a film maker he was my all time favorite until i saw Schenectady new york by charlie kaufaman i am sure woody would like this film i digress i have studied woodys or allens work and bio extensively as well and i just love the man he seems like a gentle and honest and peaceful man abused by those that cant get from him what they want even though they deserve nothing. he started from no where with nothing and created a successful life upon his wit and talent and his courage and his is one of the greatest assets to humanity . and mia i love her too but i too have suffered the abuse of malicious manipulative woman out for money and power and they can be vicious and for some reason completely unaccountable for dishonest and malicious behavior. go figure

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  57. Thank for the courage to write this. I have always felt Mia brainwashed her children and never believed Woody would do that. I am sorry for the horrific things you have had to endure. You are certainly a strong young man. Keep speaking out. I can't help but want to see her pay for all the damage she has done.

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  58. Moses what an extraordinary person you are. I have always doubted Mia’s accusations. I remember the story of how she stole Andre Previn from Dory and the song she subsequently wrote describing the deceit and hurt.. You are brave to speak the truth about her, I am surprised that others have not seen the unhinged nature of her behaviour. I hope you are reconnected with your father as he will be a positive presence in your life.

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  59. Bravo! LI have not always happily endured being an otherwise unlikely scapegoat in my own family because I did as you. I sought out the truth of my childhood sexual, psycholigical and physical abuse by several male relatives. I am 67 and can can honor your conscious decisions including now making public these hard earned nuggets of living truth. It take courage to change Moses and you have had the heart of a lion. We both know we can continue to bear whatever nonsense others might try to destroy our credibility, reputations and brutal honesty. What those who seek to do so lack the very potent tool to do so. That is the knowledge of the truth which has set us free. Continue the good fight. May you be blessed with the life gifts that such intentionality is rewarded with. Thank you for speaking the truth.

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  60. Bravo! LI have not always happily endured being an otherwise unlikely scapegoat in my own family because I did as you. I sought out the truth of my childhood sexual, psycholigical and physical abuse by several male relatives. I am 67 and can can honor your conscious decisions including now making public these hard earned nuggets of living truth. It take courage to change Moses and you have had the heart of a lion. We both know we can continue to bear whatever nonsense others might try to destroy our credibility, reputations and brutal honesty. What those who seek to do so lack the very potent tool to do so. That is the knowledge of the truth which has set us free. Continue the good fight. May you be blessed with the life gifts that such intentionality is rewarded with. Thank you for speaking the truth.

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  61. Dear Moses I am touched by your experience from your childhood. I can relate to certain aspects of it. I believe speaking up for yourself, revealing your own truth, will empower you and helps setting you free from the pain you carry with you since childhood. I appreciate you for showing me and the public it is never in anyone's interest to judge people without knowing the facts. In general judging isn't serving me and others, and especially judging via social media I consider a toxic way to spend one's time. I also recognize that judging people is an automatic response from my ego mind, I have just learned to question that mind. I make myself happy reading your story abouts becoming a therapist I imagine you have a lot to offer to people having gone through all your painful and challenging experiences and now being able to talk about it like you do. I hope the anger towards your mother I still feel (and understand) will find a channel to be released. Either directly to your mom or via other ways of 'anger work'. I wish you all the best, Marjolein

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  62. Bravo! I have not always happily endured being an otherwise unlikely scapegoat in my own family because I did as you. I sought out the truth of my childhood sexual, psychological and physical abuse by several male relatives. I am 67 and can can honor your conscious decisions including now making public these hard earned nuggets of living truth. It take courage to change Moses and you have had the heart of a lion. We both know we can continue to bear whatever nonsense others might try to destroy our credibility, reputations and brutal honesty. What those who seek to do so lack the very potent tool to do it. That is the knowledge of the truth which has set us free. Continue the good fight. May you be blessed with the life gifts that such intentionality is rewarded with. Thank you for speaking the truth.

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  63. Keep telling the truth.......there is light at the end of these tunnels....I have been thru some myself.

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  64. Good for you, son... Good for you. I swear, as someone who's actually read Mia Farrow's book, read the transcripts from the trial, read the accounts of both Dylan and Ronan/Satchel, I've been waiting for you to speak on it. And boy, you did the damned thing. I believe you.

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  65. Good for you Moses, stick to your guns.

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  66. Sounds like you are jealous of Ronan and desperate for attention, Moses. Looking to sell a Mommy Dearest-style book will be next, right? Just bear on mind that this ploy didn't go well for the first author in the long run.

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  67. Moses, as difficult as your words were to say, it’s also very brave of you and never too late to speak your truth. Hugs!

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  68. It is quite difficult to read. All parties are now adults. Education is able to allow a tremendous difference in evaluation of specific circumstances. Education has given a dramatically contrasting divergent evaluation. Connected emotion strains believe ability. Thank you Moses Farrow for becoming educated and presenting your own clearly thought through appraisal to allow us, the consumers of carefully staged media reports, to understand and appraise the entire life history of you and your family. I do sincerely wish you more and deeper happiness and a certain calmness of existence, devoid of the pain caused by these realities in your life. God bless. 24May18. Ted Wright.

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  69. Hi, I have my own blogpost about this. Is it alright if I refer to this blog post from there? https://chocolanen.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/woody-mia-dylan-and-soon-yi/

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  70. Hey Moses. I'm guessing you won't turn on most or even any comments for this posting, so this comment is really for you personally. I recognise the writing of a person who has survived a remarkably painful family, and the loss that comes from having to let go of everything we're told a family should be. I share my story with you, because all of us tend to forget that we are not alone.

    #hugs

    https://medium.com/@ewster/familiar-ideas-aef1124beeda

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  71. My heart goes out to you Moses, and to every member of your family. You have brought depth of awareness to a profoundly painful situation. Voices such as yours are so needed; those willing to address the complexity and shared wounding which are the truth within our human theatre.

    So often in my work I ask individuals to let go of the need to be righteous in their suffering, to be aware of the urge to project their pain. It is no easy task.

    Wishing you and your loved ones privacy, peace and healing.

    <3

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  72. damn.

    That's rough. I've been following this story my whole life. I'd love to set up an interview. But good luck with continued health and happiness either way.

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  73. Congratulations on finding your Real Voice, being courageous in the mist of dark media moments to support your father during such a heavy hearted period for you and him. I have a feeling that your father’s Love for you never left him. I pray that your bond with him continues to grow stronger. Thank you ���� for sharing. Keep being good to yourself and him. Sincere kind blessings. -D

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  74. Knowing the abuse my son suffered from his mother but the police refused to even investigate its sad but good to see the truth being printed that men are not the only abusers.

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  75. What a compelling story and how sorry I am for these mistreated children. I sincerely wish for them amd Woody this ordeal may one day be over

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  76. Moses, thank you for sharing your truth. I hope your siblings will soon find the courage and freedom to seek clarity. In full disclosure, I knew Jack Rollins, Woody's forever manager, through my friendship with several of his children. Jack briefly introduced me to Woody after a night of jazz one night in the early 90s, and he was polite and slightly awkward. While I've never discussed the accusations surrounding your family with any of the Rollins, I do know that Woody was beyond beloved by Jack and Jane, and that says a ton. And for Woody to stay loyal to Jack from day one to Jack's final breath, in an industry where loyalty is more rare than Big Foot sightings, reveals even more about his moral character. I offer all of that to inform my belief in your "story." I wish you, and your father, all the best. I'm glad you've been able to find some semblance of peace, despite all of the burdens you must bear.

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  77. Thank you for writing this. It has helped me realise how many vaguely formed but often dismissed suspicions I have and have had about people and events in my life are and were probably actually accurate and not malfunctions of my mind. The love and respect we have for others, especially those developed in our childhood when we are impressionable, act as a self preserving psychological anaesthetic to the grim reality of our lives to many of us. Hopefully this piece will heal many more lives than just that of yours and of those close to you.

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  78. Excellent article! Thanks so much for having the courage to speak out! There is far too much of the 'mob mentality' in our society that seeks to condemn without evidence.

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  79. thank you for sharing. It takes a lot of courage to face the demons and speak out. I wish you well and much happiness

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  80. This piece should get as much media coverage as the allegations concerning WA and DF.

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  81. Very interesting and honest read.

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  82. Wow Moses. Very brave of you to come out with the "real" story. I'm happy for Woody in that the Hollywood gossip (and your statement under duress) must have hurt him deeply and hindered his amazing career after giving so much pleasure to the world with his movies. I'm happy for you to in that you have obviously buried a ghost and can move on. Good luck.

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  83. I believe you. Your post is clear and detailed, the outcomes of the past investigations undeniable though unfortunately widely unknown. The superficiality shown by a significant number of newspapers and "public figures" in their eagerness to flaunt their being on the right side of the #MeToo fence even, or especially, when the target is a Hollywood bigshot is simply revolting.

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  84. Wow Moses. I've always doubted your mother's story, and your argument above is the clearest and most reliable account that I have heard. It also sounds more honest and true than any of the statements from your siblings. Your most powerful statement above is "during almost 60 years in the public eye, not one other person has come forward to accuse him of even behaving badly on a date, or acting inappropriately in any professional situation, let alone molesting a child."

    I hope more people take the time to read what you've written and think about the rush to judgement which your dad has endured.

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  85. Finally...someone with first hand knowledge and a witness comes forward to clear the air. I somehow had the feeling that this whole thing was retribution by Mia against a man whom she felt had betrayed her and this painful recollection just confirmed it. Thank you, Moses for finally telling your story and I hope that Dylan and Ronan will realize just how much damage their mother has caused both them and Woody and that it is time for Mia stop her own version of "fake news."

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  86. Just beautiful integrity and honesty. Thank you for sharing your story Moses, I believe every word of it.

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  87. Hurting people, hurt people. So sorry for all of Mia's victims. My theory is Mia was desperate to be loved and in control over all whom she loved. Insecure people need to be in control. People are made insecure in infancy when their basic needs, including a need for interaction and praise, are ignored. Her primary care giver as a child had to have abused or neglected her by not giving her unconditional love. Therefore, she was not able to give unconditional love. It sounds like she was not able to give much love at all but only wanted everyone else to love her above themselves. This happens to (narcissist?) people with extreme egos. They believe they are "All That" and that others are not enough like them and therefore inferior. Mia may have subconsciously thought she could rescue the most needy people and that they would always love her for saving them, but most of what went into saving them was to teach them to be just like her, so that they too could become rich and popular. When they failed to agree with her or measure up to her high expectations, or simply failed to recognize Mia as the ultimate, she lashed out towards them with hatred of all the ways they were not like her or not appreciative of her. Its a problem of dualism, with people believing they are separate from others and superior to others.

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  88. Woody & Mia's oldest daughter found comfort in commiseration, having both been the victims of Mia. Mia's primary thought towards her family must have been "After all I've done for you? How dare you disrespect me like this!" No one was disrespecting her. They were only voicing her disrespecting them. Mia could not respect others autonomy, believing herself supreme Queen to rule over all of her rescued misfits. None were misfits. They were just individuals who would never fit the Mia mold. I think all humans are struggling with this in lesser degrees, and according to Genesis, God is struggling with each of us mini-Gods not obeying or being as divine as God. God cast out Adam and Eve for disobeying which was a result of their curiosity to find out more or to express their differentiation. It seems most humans cannot be counted upon to be good parents or marriage partners because they are overly consumed with getting their own needs met rather than meeting the needs of others. Mia thought she could keep adopting more children, as pets, but then found herself inadequate to deal with all of their needs because she was not loving and accepting enough. She was not loving enough because she sought to receive love and admiration rather than give it. Our spirits were sent here to serve each other. Selfish people want to receive more than they give or to receive exactly what they want from people they have rendered powerless by dominating over them. Power seekers are control freaks, are pure evil due to not having been adequately nurtured as infants and toddlers. I believe we can create androids who will do a better job of raising newborns than most natural parents. Of course it will be a shock and a let down to realize that the person they learned to love and rely upon most, is in fact not a real human. But that fact won't damaged people the way selfish real parents do. It would be more like finding out Santa Clause isn't real or that the God of the Bible isn't real. We'd better hope so, because the God of the Bible sounds very much like Mia! That must be why so many people claim the Bible was written by controllers who wanted to rule over people they considered to be inferior peasants. I bet people were better developed when entire communities simultaneously raised the young, rather than individuals; while in tents or long houses; so that everyone could hear if anyone was being yelled at or beaten & intervene. If every human knew that every word they spoke and every place they went, was being recorded and could be analyzed by multiple others, whenever a problem arose, 99% of crimes would be eliminated and other problems solved. Privacy is not what we need, but complete openness to all eyes and all minds to figure out together what is best for all. Each of us is like a single cell within the body. We all need to cooperate = nurture and be nurtured equally by everyone around us; without any individual given authority over any other. Every endeavor which includes living beings has to be a large group effort with every other group auditing. One world government is inevitable and works when every individual's experience is acknowledged as important and equal. In a cashless society Mia could not have fired her Nannies nor adopted other living beings. We would all be born free and supported by all of humanity in as much as an intestinal cell supports an eye cell and an eye cell supports an intestinal cell. Neither is superior since they each depend upon the others.

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  89. Thank you for your courage in speaking out.

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  90. For years I have followed the back and forth of this occurrence as presented by the media, searching for the truth. For years I didn't know what to think, as if what I think could actually matter. But when reading and re-reading your words I hear the conviction of truth in them and I wanted to say that I applaud you for your bravery in speaking out. You are correct - all that matters is that you know the truth. Yet I still need to let you know, after weighing whether to even leave a comment for quite a few hours, that your words haunt me with the truth in them and I believe you.

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  91. As the daughter of a sociopathic level narcissistic mother; I relate to this in so many ways. Kudos to you for speaking up and telling your life narrative. The manipulation and dysfunction you lived through is not your fault. I hope one day I can be as open as you are about my childhood from inside the house of horrors (that of course was perfect from the outside) Sincerely,

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  92. Fascinating read. Thanks for trying to get the truth out there.

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  93. Thank you for your honesty and courage!

    Please make the text darker. I tried to print this in order to save it but it prints very light. Same thing when I try to save it as a PDF. This is so important -- it must be legible!

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  94. Thanks for writing this. It shows how far you have come...

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  95. Good luck. Thanks for the information, context, and thoughtfulness. A fuller picture of events like these, that have entered the popular consciousness and become thought-hampering tropes, is good for society. Again, thanks for sticking your neck out.

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  96. Having been bullied by my father as a child and adolescent, and "trained" to hate my mother and repeat lies about her, I know exactly what Moses Farrow is talking about.
    Yousry Nasrallah (Egyptian Film-Maker)

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  97. Thanks so much for giving your side of the story.

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  98. Good for you for speaking out! As an adoptee, I also had a similar childhood with brainwashing and abuse. Glad you made it out alive!

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  99. Dear Moses,

    Selfishly, I have hoped for a very long time that you would write this piece and publish it. Yet in truth, no one has the right to expect such a sacrifice of you, least of all a random fan of your father's art.

    But truth is truth, and despite everything, it still matters. On behalf of the millions who love truth and courage, thank you.

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  100. For what it is worth, Mr. Farrow, I believe you.

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  101. I admire your bravery in repeatedly speaking out and trying to set the record straight about what happened that day and since. Unfortunately, I don't think that the result of this will be worth the inevitable backlash. After a quarter of a century of the public narration being decidedly anti-Woody, most of the people who would evaluate the accusations based on the facts; as described by you and both state investigations, already have. For the majority of the public, they've heard the salacious accusations over and over again and at "full volume"; while anything that would clear your father has garnered very little attention from the public or the media. Your brother's current status as journalism's fair haired boy after his current streak of big scoops won't do your effort to get the apparent truth out any favors either. Hopefully I am wrong, people will pay attention this time and your father will begin to enjoy a warmer reaction to himself and his work from the media and the public. More importantly, I hope that this time, getting your story out there again will result in some sort of healing of the rifts between you and some of your family members. Good luck.

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  102. Elizabeth Loftus has something to say about manufactured memories, which I would hope Dylan would look into.

    But the absolute most telling fact is that Woody Allen has never faced any other charge. The list of child molesters who commit a _single_ assault over 60 years is _zero_. It is an empty list. This is a claim at odds with everything we know about pedophilia.

    I'm all in favor of punishing sexual crimes. The #meToo movement is long overdue.But look at all the dirtbags being brought down by #meToo: every one of them has multiple accusations. There is a reason for this.

    "Believe the woman" means to take her accusations seriously enough to launch an investigation. It does not mean suspend common sense or trial by jury. Mia got two investigations. Enough is enough. Much of the damage of sexual assault comes from the aftermath, especially for small children. Mia has held onto and kept alive this aftermath, at Dylan's expense. That's the real crime here.

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  103. Thank you SO much. Moses for this incredible piece. I have always, unwavering known the truth, and it has angered me for decades to see Woody subjected to the most hateful accusations and smears. He is one of the greatest artists of the last 100 years and has created a body of work that does not deserve to be tarnished. He is also very human, and flawed - but he has shown us all his flaws, through the honesty of his work. Congratulations to you too, for overcoming your past and finding peace with it and yourself. You sound a good man, and a good son.

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  104. This is a brave and honest essay. I congratulate you, and my heart goes out to everyone hurt in this incident. May you all find peace. It sounds like you have done the best thing possible, to use your experiences to help others. For this, you are a shining and inspirational example.

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  105. Thank you for this beautiful essay. I have always thought Woody was innocent, but you have brought out so much detail that it's obvious that he was the victim of malicious slander. Thank you for supporting your father and for the bravery of confronting this tragic event. I am especially glad to see you call out the actors that have denounced Woody without full knowledge of the facts. I applaud you and hope that you can have peace

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  106. Moses Farrow,

    I have never believed for one second that your father Woody molested Dylan. I have always been horrified at the unrelenting and decades long commitment of your mother, to destroy Woody’s life, reputation and artistic legacy. It must be very difficult to expose these details of your life, and I admire your courage at defending the truth. I admire the work you have done to try to make sense of your childhood abuse and to help others as a therapist.

    I too, suffered abuse as a child at the hands of my father-it sounds similar to what type you experienced.

    I hope you continue to heal and I hope your sister Dylan is someday able to break free of the brainwashing and abuse she has suffered at the hands of her mother.

    I always pause when I pass that building on Fifth Avenue that says, “Yee shall speak the truth and the truth shall set yee free”.



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  107. Thanks for sharing that. Like many others, I was unsure of what to think about the situation, but what you say seems pretty convincing to me. Pax Vobiscum.

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  108. thanks so much for these clarifications.

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  109. It's so brave and courageous of you to relive these moments and set out your recollections in a structured, methodical and concise manner. It's sometimes heartbreaking to read but thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm a big fan of your dad's work and I'm so pleased you feel able to to support and defend him. All credit to you.

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  110. First let me say I am sorry your childhood was such a hard and challenging one. Living in a broken home is hard enough for a child. Having a “mommy dearest” must have been absolutely awful. I can see where it would take a lot of soul searching to decide to open up about what happened in your home.
    I was young at the highlight of your father’s career, but still a fan. I still get delight from watching his old movies and getting a laugh. I was one of “the public” who was surprised and taken back when the news broke of his relationship to your sister. Then when accusations of molestation came out I couldn’t believe it, but what did I know about the man’s private life? I considered the situation and was sad that it was no longer right to be a fan of such a person. Beyond that it didn’t really change my life. Unfortunately it affected yours greatly. You are very strong to come forward with this truth. I am just a bystander, just one of the crowd. I’m not sure it matters much, but I’m proud of you. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. I know my opinion doesn’t matter. Nonetheless my heart goes out to you. I hope your life from now on is a happy one with people who truly appreciate, care, and love you. Everyone deserves that much.
    I guess you have made it ok to be a fan of your father again. More than that though, I’m a fan of you!

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  111. Amazing. Congratulations on managing to speak out about the Parental Alienation you suffered. Best wishes for a good and long life.

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  112. Seriously? You were "present for everything that transpired in our house before, during, and after the alleged event" - you lost ALL credibility with this statement. Victims everywhere know this is rubbish!!!! Millions of children are molested and/or raped every year all while in their own home and no one else knows about it.

    BTW, your dad also raped our sister/step-mother. No matter how you slice it, and irrespective that they're NOW married - what happened was a violation and is DISGUSTING. Any grown person who ends up having romantic/sexual feelings for another person is a vile person. Sad that you're blind to the ways of the world. I mean, clearly it's your reality so perhaps it's your "norm". But guess what, it's NOT normal and it's NOT okay.

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  113. Your blog post was very well-written. I wasn't there, so I don't know. What I do know is you can write very very well.

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  114. I'm so very sorry for all involved. Thank you for speaking up, Moses.

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  115. Good job and God bless you. It seems to me your mother has Borderline Personality Disorder. If so, then you already know, it's an impossible fight you're not going to win. It's not fair because it's impossible to win and they really believe what they're doing and those who survive it, more likely than not, want only to forgive them or excuse them.

    I have nothing to do with anything here; I'm sorry you and your father have had to have been drawn out time and time again. I've always have felt that this has been unfair and wrong. And I'm embarrassed it's dragged all of you through the media time and time again.

    But that situation with the tape measure is EXACTLY how this stuff manifests. Mine was a video camera and my wife and the weird thing is--because it's so weird and controlling for no reason--that we block it, hide from it, support and buy into it--and then it seems like it's too late and no one's going to understand anyway.

    You're understood. And you're right and, boy-oh-boy, doesn't it feel great to get it off your chest?

    Obviously, I don't know you or your father, nor will I ever meet either of you. I do know your mother (only in the sense that I've lived and loved someone with that horrible, acidic sickness). But I am a father. I know what it is to be a father. What you just did for your dad was everything a dad could ever want.

    So, again, good job and God bless you, Moses Farrow.

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  116. Hi Moses,
    you may be disappointed to not have spoken earlier, but I think that your story goes far beyond yourself.
    Because you and your father are not alone. Today we are in the paradoxical situation where society gives mothers all means to take revenge upon their ex-partner, and the preferred way is to use the children, because there is nothing more effective to hurt a father than estranging their children from them.

    I know your experiences, I know them well, both as a child like you, and also as a father like yours.

    Unfortunately today we have a form of violence that is both invisible and accepted in our society. In order to see it it’s necessary to extend adult’s accountability from the physical to the psychological violence.
    Of course rape and physical beatings are unacceptable, but too often psychological violence and abuse are accepted, and more women than men take advantage of it.
    From my point of view, you, your brothers and sisters, have actually been raped psychologically by your mother, still the one who has to prove to not be a monster today is your father, while it is acceptable that a woman abuses their child and tries to ruin a man's reputation and career.
    What happened in your family, happens in many others, where the usual outcome is that the fathers lose the right to see their child, no matter if they are the healthier part in the dispute.

    Of course I am not saying that it’s always the mothers’ fault, I am just saying that after having experienced firsthand how manipulative and deceitful, yet convincing in the eyes of society, some women can be, every time I hear a story of a father who didn't care or abused his kids, I take it with a grain of salt, because you have to see both sides of the story before judging.
    So this story, which authenticity can be doubted only by witless or hypocrites, goes far beyond yourself and is shared by many, many more than you can imagine.

    Therefore…
    BE PROUD OF YOURSELF, as I am proud of you as a child, for speaking up for me and all children.
    BE PROUD OF YOURSELF, as I am proud of you as a father, for defending me and all fathers.
    Thank you Moses, I would love to get in touch with you.

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  117. Each word of your post rings true, Moses.

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  118. Bravo, Moses! Bon courage!

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  119. This had to be incredibly difficult to write, let alone publish. May it be seen and understood by those for whom you found the courage, particularly Mr. Allen.

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  120. Excellent, sir. It's a bold step forward to unshackle the restraints of manipulation and speak truth to power. I applaud your moral strength, clarity and willingness to set the record straight.

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  121. Wow. Glad you are speaking up for the truth. I am also very happy you seem to have healed many of the childhood horrors you faced. Keep being strong. You have reclaimed your life and it's very inspiring to read your story. All the best to you!

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  122. You are brave! This is so well written. Thank you for sharing.

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  123. I commend your courage ! Not an easy childhood to overcome.

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  124. Thank you for doing the right thing and writing this.

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  125. This is a powerful narrative and as a counterpoint to Dylan Farrow’s statements is convincing. However, I did read Mariel Hemingway’s account of being pursued by Allen which contradicts Moses’ statement that no one else has come forward to accuse Allen of inappropriate behavior.

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  126. This is amazing and heartbreaking. I'm so happy that you can finally reveal the truth and I hope it gives you some peace. Big hug.

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  127. A brave and eloquent piece. I wish you peace and fulfillment, such traumas are not easily overcome, but neither are they insurmountable. By surviving, you emerge stronger and wiser. All power to you.

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  128. You are one strong man. To accuse some one of the worst thing imaginable like happened to your father is terrible. My thoughts are with you and Woody.. I cant even imagine what this has done to him Best regards Henry.

    henry@triangulumtransport.com

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  129. Thank you for your professionalism. I was a target of childhood sexual improprieties by peers. I've worked with coached children as an adult in alienation circumstances. Your articulate account aligns with my personal and professional experiences. I believe your father is innocent. I'm sorry for your childhood experiences and I'm sorry for mine. You've channeled your trauma for good in your profession.

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  130. It's almost as is some women coached their children to make accusations to use as leverage during a divorce... and almost as if the flock encouraged it by joining in the hysteria.

    Stay strong, and thanks for your testimony.

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  131. I am so sorry you had to go through such a difficult childhood. Sending you love and thank you for being brave and speaking up

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  132. Thank you for sharing your story. For what its worth I have my own story that eerily mimics yours. Thank you.

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  133. What has been done to Woody Allen by his mentally disturbed ex-girlfriend, his adopted daughter, his biological son, the media, and the brainless masses is astonishingly wrong and cruel. Thanks, Moses, for helping to bring reason to bear on this horror. I haven't met Woody, and probably never will, but I've never wavered in my trust in his character. When he reads your article, I hope the love you have shown him brings him happiness.

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  134. Also if you wouldn't mind not sharing my comment I would appreciate it, I just wanted to let you know there are others of us out there.

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  135. Thank you for this Moses. I know it took a great deal of courage to come forward with this.
    All the best.

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  136. If it were not for this article, I would have never heard this side of the story. We can only hope social media won't get wild from the adrenaline of controversy.

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  137. Why is Ronan so 100% supportive of Mia? Not a word by him of the alleged hell you and your siblings experienced under Mia's hand? Two totally different takes on who Mia Farrow was as a person. Calls her a woman of principle... What is the truth?

    Also was there an electrical outlet in the attic for an electric train set to operate?

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  138. Thank you for your courage, Moses. #TruthIsLouder

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  139. I commend you, wholeheartedly, Moses.
    I had also grown up in the industry, where so much was overlooked and allowed, and so little done to help those of us too young to understand or help ourselves. I find it so odd to have also been drawn to the realms of psychology to put my own pieces together and see the world as it really is, rather than we all wish it to be.
    As we well know, there are always three sides to every story.
    I, having made the study of human nature foremost in my life, wrestled with my own demons in an effort to raise my children in the opposite. Not creating roles for them in my own psychodrama, but rather providing the tools for them to create a life free of it.

    If only more could.

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  140. I can't speak nothing to the subject matter except to say I am so sorry you had to go through this. Your writing however, is some of the most phenomenal I've ever read. Perhaps because you were writing with emotion and fervor. If you haven't already thought about writing as a career, I would do so; for I would gladly buy anything with your name on it. Much love, and I hope you find peace. <3

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  141. It sounds like you live with the same family dynamic I did: a family riddled with narcissistic personality disorder (among other personality disorders). You sound like you're stuck in-between a rock and hard place. My advice to you: leave it alone. Walk away from all of it. Don't let either parent or anyone put you in the middle of having to speak out against them. Because a) you could be wrong and b) you could be right, but what good will that do? It won't change anything. All it will bring is backlash. This I know, because my own mother tells everyone I am a terrible liar about the abuse I endured as a child, that nothing like that (meaning how my father beat us both and abused me in many other ways as well) ever happened. I speak my truth all the time. But she just keeps bringing more crap out in public to prove I'm a liar. And now I am no contact with her and the rest of my family (they all believe her).

    So I am content knowing my truth without having to get her to admit she's lying. I KNOW what happened, and that's good enough for me. Because you can't change a narcissist (not saying which of your parents or even possibly both are narcissists--many people have both parents who have NPD). Narcs will always lie to make themselves look better. ALWAYS. It's incurable. So calling them out publicly will only bring their wrath against you.

    I am sorry you ended up with the parents you did. I am also adopted. Makes me wonder why we get adopted into insanity like this.....doesn't anyone think to check up on us after all is said and done? *sigh* Well, for real. Just know your truth and let it all go. And distance yourself from anyone who would put you in the middle again.

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  142. I take back the idea that you shouldn't speak your truth in this blog, as I had only skimmed it the first time. After reading it fully all the way through, HOLY COW. I am so very, very sorry you had to deal with this. Yeah, it's very clear your mother is insane....even though that's not the technical term for it. Your mother is more insane than my mother and father put together!

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  143. Thank you for sharing your brave and insightful story. Im an avid fan of both of your parents so it is distressing to see public accusations brought against them. Despite the flaws you pointed out they both still appear to be humanitarians and artist in a class by themselves. When you live with someone you see a dark side no one else does. No one is perfect behind closed doors.

    Betrayal and attacks on our public image brings out the worst in us. We all want to look like " The good guy" and strive for unrealistic expectations. Unfortunately, there are those who derive pleasure from diminishing societie's positive role models out of jealousy.

    From a distance I love and admire ALL of your family members for their progressive contributions to social commentary and the arts.

    I would like to read a book by you that is NOT about your family.

    Peace.✍️πŸ’œπŸŽ“πŸ¦‹πŸŒ

    Michael Hollister
    Boston, Ma.
    May 24th 2028

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  144. I find this very credible, and honestly, have never found the accusation particularly believable, based on some of what was public already, and now clarified by this.

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  145. Good for you, Moses. The truth will us free.

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  146. As someone who was raised by a toxic, narcissistic mother as well, I can only express how sorry I am that you've had to endure this. My brightest days come from knowing that I would not be who I am had it not been for what I've been through. Every struggle, every abuse, learning how to have my own identity, and overcoming the multitude of relationship and parenting mistakes that I've made (and continue to make) because of how I was raised make me the strong, capable, unconditionally loving wife, mother, and woman that I am. The road is long, but you are never alone.

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  147. Wow, respect. Very compelling.

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  148. Cheers to speaking your truth.

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  149. I applaud the courage and the decision of who for years was manipulated and kept under the fear of not being accepted or wanted. Let's not forget that adopted people already have the feeling of not being lovable enough.

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  150. Hi Moses, it's been a long time since you & I were on the Board of ATTACh together, & at the time I had no idea that your last name was the same as Mia's because she was your mother. I am so sad to read of your tormented family life, and if you remember me at all you will know that I am a fairly non-judgmental person and professional. Yet I am a fierce supporter of children, and you and your siblings needed and deserved support and protection from a mother who clearly had her own troubles (and came from a violent & troubled background herself). Please accept both my support for you, and my admiration at your courage for speaking out and breaking the silence that so many abused young people share. All of my best wishes go to you, Moses. Lark Eshleman

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  151. All of the sordid details were a bit easier to believe because of Woody's unusual relationship with Soon Yi. But time has shown that to be true love. Perhaps that fact will allow people to look at this whole thing with a fresh set of eyes.

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  152. I presently am in a losing battle with my soon to be ex, who has used so many of these same tricks as she put all her effort into tearing my sons away from me. The older is now 19 and he has seen more clearly with time and perspective. My younger boy is taking that path of least resistance. Everything you say sounds familiar, it has the clear ring of truth, down to your regrets at being a party to your father's denouncement.

    Eric Solstein

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  153. Very wise and courageous words young man. I salute you. Children of alcoholics always get a bum deal, my grandfather was a violent man when he had a drink in him, and my Mother as the eldest, bore the brunt of it. It made her similar to how you describe Mia Farrow. Neurotic doesn't come close. I believe my addictions and chronic people pleasing stemmed from a childhood very similar to yours. I have only just begun therapy, but I know it will help me if I tell the truth. If I don't do that it will be a waste of both mine and the therapists time. So my first session is on Tuesday! BTW I am sixty-one years old. Better late than never.

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  154. "The Identified Patient" A form of scapegoating in the family context.
    That must have been painful to write. But since his other family member would not let go of it, Moses needed to correct the false accusations about Woody.
    At some point family members become locked into a path of scapegoating. "The Identified Patient" where one family member is identified as the cause of all the problems, when in truth, it began (in this case and in other situations) much earlier than before he even came into the picture.

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  155. Why do people not believe or want to interview Moses Farrow ? I guess a boy being abused by a female does not fit the current narrative. It also does not help that he is not white

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  156. Well done. Great piece. Carefully written. Deeply credible. I'm so sorry you lived through that.

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  157. Wow! Congrats, Moses, for getting this off your chest after so many years. I always thought your dad got a raw deal and I always believed your sister was coached by Mia. Such a shame! I hope you find peace. :)

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  158. Your story has the ring of truth. Memories are easy to implant, especially in children, as anyone who has studied psychology would know.
    Your mother was nicer and less controlling than mine, but I "divorced" her years ago. She tried to implant sexual molestation stories about my grandmother, father, and stepfather, but I was older and more mature at that point, and recognized these stories as fantasy on her part.
    Best wishes and I hope you have a good relationship with your father now.

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  159. Thank you for having the courage to speak out and let us know the truth.

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  160. This was powerful. I am truly sorry that you went though this.

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  161. Thank you for your candid revelations. The accusation against your father has always seemed out of character to me and you have confirmed my opinion of both he and your mother in regards to this matter. While a fan of both your parents, I hated seeing him vilified (and judged) by this accusation and it's fire obviously being stoked by your mother's anger. Unfortunately, your sister is a victim, but it's one of brainwashing and thus being used as punishment for your father's relationship with Soon-Yi. I think it's brave of you to come forth with this statement and hopefully others can gain some much needed perspective from it. Stay strong and best of luck you you.

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  162. I'm so glad you found the help you needed and applaud you for being willing to speak out and tell the truth as you know it. I have always believed this was a more than complex family situation and no one outside can know the intricacies. I hope you have found peace and happiness, and if not - that you will.

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  163. I commend your bravery in speaking out. The bright spot in this story is that you now have healthy love and support from your friends and family.

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  164. Wow, thank you for having the courage and force to express all of this, showing your side of this horrible story. I've always loved Woody, this letter takes so much weight off my heart.

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  165. I am a fan of your fathers films and remain so - I am sorry that you had to endure all you did as a child, yet you are brave, so brave, to step out and speak the truth, which you did with a great deal of integrity.

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