Marina Zenovich
In January of 2003 there was an article in the Los Angeles Times that questioned whether Polanski would be able to return to Los Angeles if he was nominated for an Oscar for his film THE PIANIST.
Soon thereafter, Samantha Geimer and her attorney appeared on Larry King Live where she publicly forgave Polanski. Her lawyer said something that night, which started my five-year odyssey. He said, What happened that day, both to Polanski and to some extent the American judicial system, I really think it was a shameful day.
What was he talking about I knew that Polanski fled the country but I couldnt imagine how or why Geimers lawyer thought that Polanski had been wronged. I was intrigued. I realized that the only way I was going to get to the truth was to talk to the people who were there. I soon discovered that 30 years on, this long misunderstood case still stirred extremely strong feelings.
Having spoken to most of those involved, I discovered that Polanski fleeing the country has totally eclipsed what happened during the judicial proceedings. I also realized the case was tragic for everyone involved. Polanski remains in France, unable to return to the U.S. or countries that have an extradition treaty with the U.S. for unlawful sexual intercourse. Samantha Geimer will forever be known as the girl who had sex with Roman Polanski. Both the prosecution and defense have expressed remorse regarding the way the case unfolded.
This film is not intended to serve as an apology for Roman Polanski. I wanted to explore the case itself and what happens when the media and public opinion enter the courtroom.