The role critics need to play in the #MeToo movement

Woody Allen and Greta Gerwig

Today, I read the news that actress Rebecca Hall now says she regrets appearing in an earlier Woody Allen film due to recently resurfaced sexual misconduct allegations against him. And that's a totally legit position. Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, and many others have also come forward to express remorse for working with the iconic director.

Still, I think the focus on actors has distracted from the role that critics play in this discussion.

The main reason problematic but legendary directors like Roman Polanski and Allen continue to get movies financed and attract major stars is their critical reputation, not their commercial success. In Allen's case in particular, there is also the reality that he has a decent track record of propelling actors in his movies to awards season victory, which can reap greater dividends down the road.

Now, I am on record conceding that fact that both of these filmmakers have done some very good to excellent late career work, and as an amateur film critic that puts me in a difficult position.

And mainstream critics aren't supposed to police peoples' private lives or weigh in on the guilt or innocence of the accused. I would never argue that a film critic should refuse to review work made by Louis CK or Harvey Weinstein or anyone else.

Roman Polanski

But, I do think the days of ignoring these men's histories and keeping their private lives totally separate are long over. When reviewing Woody Allen's work, which, despite his unconvincing cries to the contrary, has always been deeply personal and autobiographical, it's important to provide the insight and context that his work deserves.

Part of what has given men like Allen their power is the reality that mostly male, aging film critics have chosen to take all of their post-alleged assault films at face value without also pointing out that all of this work has been made under a cloud of intense suspicion of a heinous crime.

That being said, movies like Midnight in Paris, Vicky Christina Barcelona and Blue Jasmine are all great -- in my opinion undeniably -- and they benefit tremendously from keeping Allen's distinct directorial voice at bay or at least at a bit of a remove.

But if a critic were to point out that these movies either feature a romanticization of infidelity or a fetishization of May-December romance or a parody of so-called hysterical women -- and to point out that those themes may serve to insulate Allen against inevitable criticisms of his personal life -- I don't think that's unfair. If anything, it's edifying for the audience, and depending on your point of view, it makes this later career work either more interesting or more infuriating.

My point is that it's easy to beat up on actors like Kate Winslet, who should be well aware of the knocks against Allen and have chosen to work with him anyway -- either citing the he said/she said nature of the allegations or a respect for his artistry trumping everything else.

But the focus should also be placed on the staid and decidedly male class of cinephile elitists who in some cases have allowed the breadth of some filmmakers' careers to overwhelm all their apparent and obvious sins.

This is not simple. The work of Polanski, Allen and many other alleged and confirmed abusers has changed cinema history, often for the better. There is no diminishing the intelligence of Chinatown or the wit of Hannah and Her Sisters, at least not for me.

But now the downside of these figures must be mentioned in the same breath. They are not just 'geniuses' but alleged abusers of women and children, which is an uncomfortable fact -- but a fact nonetheless. And while we're still grappling with a growing list of the accused, there is a danger of having an assault or assaults in your past becoming an almost numbing aspect of a star or filmmaker's persona and not a career-ending indictment of them and their work.

For instance, while it is widely accepted that Casey Affleck has at the very least transgressed boundaries of appropriate conduct, his career has not suffered at all. While Birth of a Nation director and star Nate Parker has seemingly been banished from the industry.

I don't have an answer for the double standards -- this is uncharted territory -- for so long men have been privileged to operate in a world without any standards or shame and so the fallout of #MeToo is in some ways bound to be unfair.

But those of us who write about films, love films, and ultimately understand that it will probably be impossible to eliminate predatory men from films (or any industry for that matter) can still be more outspoken about what is going on here. In the same way that we should never forget that our president is also a man accused of assaulting over a dozen women, we must not give anyone a pass, even the men who have made and star in some of our favorite movies.