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I was reluctant to see the new film about Michael Jackson because I had read that it completely avoided the fact that he was accused of child sexual abuse and grooming. I just went because his dancing has such an influence that almost every day, Facebook Reels feature dancers in the streets, at home, of all colors, shapes, ages, and sizes, doing dance steps inspired by MJ.

I settled down as Michael began, figuring it was going to be a superficial, hagiographic biopic and concert film.

What happened on the screen was so shocking to me that I watched with my mouth open and then started to silently weep. The film shows Michael as a young child, maybe age 10, being brutally beaten by his father while his other siblings and his mother watched without intervening. His mother loved him, but she was powerless to stop his father’s abuse.

His father, Joseph Jackson, is portrayed as a violent, controlling, selfish parent who probably would have been charged with child abuse if charges were brought. While Michael was beaten, his family watched, and no one intervened to help him. Michael was a brilliant singer, performer, and dancer, yet even when he got older and was an international celebrity, he still lived at home and was still controlled by his father. He needed to get his lawyer and top people in the recording industry to intervene when he wanted to start a solo career or oppose his father’s wishes that he perform with his siblings. He was unable to confront his father on his own. Finally, at a last family concert, he announced publicly that he would no longer be doing concerts with his........

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