A new two-part documentary about actor Evan Rachel Wood and her decision to publicly accuse Marilyn Manson of abuse is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. It will then air on HBO in the spring.
Titled ‘Phoenix Rising’, director Amy Berg says that the film was originally about Wood’s emergence as an activist working to improve legal protections for survivors of domestic abuse. Previously, Wood had said that she had been a victim herself, but had never named her abuser.
This changed after Manson released his last album, and people online started more prolifically linking him, as an ex-partner of Wood, to those earlier allegations. Wood then confirmed that those allegations were indeed against the musician in February last year.
“It wasn’t about Marilyn Manson and his whole world”, Berg tells Variety of the documentary. “This was about an Erin Brockovich story. We were really focused on telling a story about empowerment, something that would offer resources for women and men who are stuck in abusive situations. And that was what we were making - until she decided to name him publicly”.
“Naming Manson obviously created a lot more story for us”, she adds, resulting in the film being split into two parts.
This year’s Sundance Film Festival will take place online. ‘Phoenix Rising’ will be able for attendees to view on 24 Jan. More info here.