Model and actress Ambra Gutierrez (left), who has accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, speaks with Ronan Farrow in the HBO documentary “Catch and Kill”.
Welcome to the weekend frenzy. Each week, we’ll bring you a compelling title designed to keep you from going too crazy. Check back throughout the weekend for even more gloriously queer entertainment.
The scandalous: Catch & Kill
Queer documentary film Lions Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have teamed up with Pulitzer Prize winner Ronan Farrow for this six-part HBO series, based on the Farrow podcast of the same name. Catch & Kill chronicles Farrow’s investigation into the sex crimes of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. What starts out as a standard story takes on a life of its own, as Weinstein pressures Farrow’s-day NBC network to kill the story before it unfolds. When Farrow persists, reporting his story to the New Yorker, Weinstein and his forces follow. What begins as a Hollywood scandal story turns into an Ian Flemming-worthy spy thriller, as Farrow engages in clandestine meetings and escapes Weinstein’s literal spies to shed light on the truth.
Bailey & Barbato use both the original Farrow podcast tapes as well as new filmed interviews to determine how protective and aggressive Weinstein had become of his image and how far his power could reach. At its core, however, Catch & Kill features the portrayal of a queer hero, an all-American journalist who refused to succumb to All The President’s Men-style bullying. That said, Farrow isn’t exactly the ordinary man in the vein of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Besides, the series doesn’t quite humanize Farrow either. You wondered how the stress of a years-long investigation that threatened to derail her entire career weighed on her relationships and her day-to-day life. That little quibble aside, Catch & Kill tells one hell of a heartbreaking story and once again reminds us why Bailey & Barbato are two of the great gay directors working today.
Streamed on HBO Max. The final will air on July 26.
