Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)

Most people know that in 1978 famed film director Roman Polanski fled charges of "unlawful sexual intercourse" with a 13-year-old girl. But few know the legal details that precipitated that decision. In her fascinating and impeccably researched documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Marina Zenovich gathers archival footage and new interviews to illuminate the closeted mishandling of the case by an egotistical, fame-grubbing judge. Though Polanski's crime is never doubted or excused, it is psychologically explained to some degree, and he emerges as a sympathetic figure in the context of his hounding by the press and his railroading by the legal system. Both first-chair lawyers, the victim, and those who knew the deceased judge all testify for the documentary. Polanski speaks for himself only in carefully selected vintage interviews and clips that illustrate how his films have reflected the themes of his own troubled life.