Allen v. Farrow: HBO's Four-Part Reckoning with Hollywood's Darkest Case

Directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering's Allen v. Farrow arrived on HBO in February 2021 as a watershed moment in Hollywood's reckoning with power, family violence, and institutional silence. The four-episode miniseries presents a decades-long examination of allegations that shook one of cinema's most celebrated families—and questions why those allegations were never formally prosecuted.

The documentary centers on Dylan Farrow's account of events that occurred in 1992, when she was seven years old. For the first time in public, the series aired her videotaped statement describing an alleged assault by her adoptive father, Woody Allen. This testimony forms the emotional and evidential core of the investigation that unfolds across the four episodes.

Supporting Dylan's account, the documentary incorporates home videos shot by her mother, Mia Farrow, and includes surreptitious recordings of phone conversations between Mia Farrow and Allen. These archival materials provide context to the family breakdown that culminated in the custody battle of the early 1990s. The series examines the relationship between Allen and Mia Farrow, which lasted 13 years before its acrimonious end in 1992.

A significant focus of Allen v. Farrow is the revelation of Allen's relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia Farrow's adopted daughter. The 35-year age gap between Allen and Soon-Yi—and the affair's discovery during the custody proceedings—provides crucial context for understanding the family crisis that surrounded Dylan's allegations.

The documentary also features an interview with Christina Engelhardt, who claims romantic involvement with Allen when she was 17 years old. Engelhardt suggests she may have inspired a character in Allen's 1979 film Manhattan, raising further questions about Allen's relationships with young women.