Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)

Reopening a case that has inspired curiosity, controversy, and confusion for over three decades, Marina Zenovich's film is an extensive exploration of the circumstances that led up to – and the circus that followed – Polanski's conviction for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Zenovich had unprecedented access to several of the key players in the case, including the lawyers representing the case, the media covering it, and the unusually clear-eyed and candid victim. Unearthing a trove of telling footage from the past, and combining it with insightful interviews from today, she brings comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myth and misconception. A thrilling examination of a trial that became the prototype for innumerable Hollywood courtroom scandals to follow, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" becomes a brilliant discourse on the attraction/repulsion that defines celebrity culture in contemporary America.