Square One

Square One

2019, Conspiracy  -   135 Comments
9.35
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Ratings: 9.35/10 from 2207 users.

Square One mounts a full-throated defense of Michael Jackson against the charges of pedophilia that plagued him in the latter part of his life and career. The centerpiece of the film lies in its debunking of the initial allegations made against Jackson in 1993. If those allegations can be disproven, the film seems to be arguing, then the subsequent charges against Jackson must be dismissed as well. To assist in this endeavor, filmmaker Danny Wu has assembled a series of never-before-aired statements from case witnesses, and new interviews with figures in Jackson's inner circle, including his nephew and 3T band member Taj Jackson.

The 1993 case never made it to court. Instead, Jackson paid his accuser - Jordan Chandler - a sum of $15 million to stop the case in its tracks. The film suggests that the case originated from a bitter custody battle between Chandler's parents. In an effort to attain full stewardship over his son as well as a hefty payout, the father drummed up false charges against Jackson and worked feverishly to coach his son to verify these allegations through false testimony.

The film damns many of the central players in this sad drama, as well as the circus players who roamed on its periphery. The non-stop media coverage of the case led to often misleading, and always sensationalist headlines.

A few interviews are offered that support the film's hypothesis that Jackson was wrongfully accused, including conversations with the legal secretary for prosecuting attorney Barry Rothman and, curiously, a series of fans who visited Neverland Ranch.

The film also tackles additional controversies related to the tabloid frenzy surrounding Jackson, including the scrutiny he received from his rare skin condition and the findings from the five search warrants that were carried out on his properties.

Square One is clearly the work of a fan on a mission, but it's produced with a lot urgency and passion. Viewers will have to decide for themselves if the insights contained in the film effectively disprove the initial accusation from 1993, or build a compelling case for the dismissal of the additional allegations that followed.

Directed by: Danny Wu

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nick
nick
3 months ago

so if i just have kids around me man call my home Neverland i think from Peter pan oki i am not a peddo

Sam
Sam
6 months ago

Shame about the goddawful piano 'hold music'...

Felicia
Felicia
1 year ago

It is the best and most transparent documentary
Worth seeing!

Lynn
Lynn
1 year ago

This Documentary is suburb!

Nainshika Yadav
Nainshika Yadav
2 years ago

I loved this.And Shame on those 2 liers who tarnish a man's name for money.Also they have been sued by his estate for lying.MJ was a highly misunderstood guy .The media never ever spoke for MJ becoz he was too powerful black man that too with an aim .They destroyed him and now they are destroying his legacy but don't know canceling MJ that too with a fiction movie is never possible.

Emily
Emily
2 years ago

Not an MJ fan at all,saw this documentary was recommended on social media,so I watched.I have watched another Michael jackson documentary on YouTube called Leaving Neverland,it’s so hard to watch,sometime I forgot I was watching a documentary,but a porn movie,I think the director had overdone it. I felt strange after watching that, expected to get some evidence to back up those 2 men’s stories,but there was none. This documentary was very well arranged,the timeline is very clear.

Alejandra Martínez Ponce
Alejandra Martínez Ponce
2 years ago

I normally don’t leave reviews but this is a fine documentary, exposes facts no exaggeration just pure evidence. Michael Jackson is innocent and there is the obvious evidence. Congratulations to Danny Wu

JYOTI SUNUWAR
JYOTI SUNUWAR
2 years ago

A factual documentary!!!!

George
George
2 years ago

Heartbreaking after watching this. I watched Leaving Neverland last year,I had no idea who were those 2 accusers,never heard of them,and I am not an MJ fan too. In my country,Leaving Neverland was not promoted at all,watched it on YouTube, and I had too many question marks after that.like where were the parents at that time,and I expected some evidence in there, but nothing,only 2 men talking about their stories.unlike this documentary,it clearly stated the timeline, the real witnesses, I can convince myself to believe MJ was never a monster. And I found out this director is not an MJ fan,thank you for putting in so much effort to let me know the truth.

Belindal
Belindal
2 years ago

This is what we call documentary, all facts, this documentary needs more attention.I watched Leaving Neverland,raised many questions in my head, I couldn’t convince myself that Michae Jackson was what they accused him of in that movie. And I tried to convince myself by the truth,I did research, and this Square one was one of it. Always pay station to the timeline. Facts don’t lie, people do.

Ghazd.
Ghazd.
2 years ago

For those who are interested in information and nothing but information, this documentary despite the lack of means does not lack professionalism, provision of evidence, facts and especially direct witnesses to all the madness that has surrounded the case which launched the unfounded suspicions on Michael Jackson. A must see. "lies runs sprints, but the truth runs marathons"

Kerry Hennigan
Kerry Hennigan
2 years ago

This is an excellent, factual and dispassionately presented documentary film which attempts (successfully, I believe) in answering all the questions about the 1993 allegations against Michael Jackson which provided the 'template' for what followed. Well done Danny Wu.

Giorgio tardio
Giorgio tardio
2 years ago

A great documentary one of the best i seen . It goes to the deep insight to the facts of the 93 allegations presented in a easy understand formal and well structured way. It feels you are in a big rabbit hole the more this film esculates
Great archieve and testomonies presented
Well recommended

Sana
Sana
2 years ago

An amazing factual documentary.

Bee
Bee
2 years ago

Finally a doc about the allegations, that doesn't just repeat the long debunked nonsense that has been circulated for decades. Evidence based, factual and packed with verified info.
A must see for anyone who cares for the truth.

Andre
Andre
3 years ago

I will bet the judge was in on some of the gravy from the settlement, otherwise no reason to rule against MJ on the two court motions. By ruling against him, force settlement, and force a percentage for the judge. Vs go to trial, potentially lose, no money for anyone. It's always easy to bribe a US judge, 75% of them allow illegal things in their courts every day so the prosecutors can put away innocent folks. And of course hater will always believe that MJ is pedophile, because the haters are wish they could be pedophiles themselves, it's just like gay bashing, the bashers are secretly gay.

Brooke
Brooke
3 years ago

He’s still guilty sorry.

Carmen
Carmen
3 years ago

MJ lied about so many things (plastic surgery, drugs abuse, being the biological father of his children, applying cream to make his skin more white, how rich he was), that it's impossible for me to see him as a truthful person.

D
D
3 years ago

Uhh... What? This guy doesn't think Jackson's a pedophile? Sure, he just "Likes" being around kids and keeps the special ones in his hotel rooms overnight. Give me a f'n break. The most obvious explanation for his behavior is that it is exactly what you think it is, were it committed by any person other than MJ. Sure financial incentive can be a reason to falsely accuse, but more often than not, wealth is used to get away with crimes, not an unfortunate side effect that leaves one open to them.

Benoit
Benoit
3 years ago

Honestly, all this only reaffirms to me is that nobody gives a f*** about the truth. Everybody just handpicking pieces of information that strengthen their own believes while dismissing the rest... Can't we just admit we're all clueless

Natalie
Natalie
3 years ago

MJ was just too pure for this cold, evil world. I’ve always known he was not guilty, just misunderstood. He is unbreakable. He will always break through these barriers and come out on top as he always was. Just a great documentary..

SAS
SAS
3 years ago

Excellent, persuasive documentary

ScreamingEagle
ScreamingEagle
3 years ago

This just reaffirms what I had always believed that MJ was innocent. It was upsetting to see what he went through with this as well as his childhood. He was targeted for his kindness and innocence by greed. If you know anything about psychology and childhood development and what he went through you’d know why he was close to kids and invited them to his house and created a home that was almost magical and unique to children. God is all knowing and sees everything. RIP MJ

alex
alex
3 years ago

this doco is hard to watch, some people obviously have a tough time swallowing this particular pill. Michael Jackson was a pedophile like 'Mr hands' was a Zoophile, mj really loved kids like Mr hards really loved horses, pretty obvious from the info iv seen... ill just add i grew up with no MJ in my childhood and to be honest i could take or leave his music, pretty standard pop music so no bias here

Willbur Carruthers
Willbur Carruthers
3 years ago

Brilliant piece of informative film making. An actual documentary not like that fiction film Leaving Neverland which was biased and full of inaccuracies, and lies. Highly recommended documentary to watch for anyone who wants to know exactly what happened re the 1993 allegations .⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

JoAnn Williams
JoAnn Williams
3 years ago

Thank you for this on mj. Mj was right all the time and he never changed stories like these fraud accusers. This film answers all the questions and everything now makes sense even how the media is fake and tried to hide this side

Ofie
Ofie
3 years ago

It’s one of the most disgraceful American tragedies to date that the media played us and wound up killing a truly beautiful person.

Rob Dean
Rob Dean
3 years ago

This is the most sordid and twisted story I have ever seen on any public figures life. I only just discovered it on Amazon Prime. It’s no wonder he died A broken man way too young. I am so glad I watched this and now am 100% committed to my belief in his innocence. A true tragedy on so many levels.

Mark Eames
Mark Eames
3 years ago

Enjoyed this, but by the end of of it I was really angry at the way he has been treated and portrayed in the media when all the facts are there and just needed to be reported as they were.

Glad to finally see what really happened to him and why he is still loved the world over.

Joanne Davies
Joanne Davies
3 years ago

Explained on a fully laid out clear timeline, backed by evidence, sources, due process...importantly the documentation and witnesses, this MJ Documentary blows any other Documentary out of the water. Documentaries have been made for years about this innocent man, all unjustly vilifying him within an inch of his life. We all saw what was done to him. Bullied into to grave, now they want to bully him back out of it. I hear the excuse Geraldine Hughes is not a credible witness, how feeble when she was actually given instruction to type up paperwork in the midst of this setup. The only people who discredit this low budget on point Documentary are those who wish he was guilty. He was the most documented on the planet (the man could not have been in two places at once, nor in buildings not built, confirmed by the documentation)
Square One highlights a father recorded setting up a star for money, when that didn't go to plan, he used his child. Michael wanted to go to court, but the judge allowed the civil case to go before the criminal case which more or less guaranteed the father his money, because nobody would reveal their defence before trying to defend themselves in a court. In the 2005 trial they 'changed the date' by 2 weeks for the false accusers claim in a similar situation, dispicable! This was how unfairly treated Michael was. Square One is an accurate explanation from a top and extremely credible investigative journalist Charles Thomson, who is known for his case exposing one of the biggest paedophile rings in the UK. This Documentary is not your usual trashing of Michael Jackson that's rolled out for TV ratings. Be prepared to have everything you thought you knew about this case derailed. The truth we've known for decades but has been purposely hidden by the media and tabloids. NOT ANYMORE thanks to Danny Wu who got right to the core with this raw, bare bones Documentary. To ignore the facts, is to be complicit with all subsequent false accusers that ran through the left open gate of a failed extortion plot from the very beginning. It has recently come to light that there is a witness out there saying Jordan Chandler rang Michael of his own accord to apologise to him and said his father was making him do it. That witness told Charles Thomson in person because they were there when Michael recieved that call. It's time for the truth.

Joe K
Joe K
3 years ago

Long live the legacy of Michael Joseph Jackson...
#SQUAREONE is a great documentary! Let's petition for this doc to be more widely viewed 😀

Rayna
Rayna
3 years ago

This is obviously an amateurish propaganda piece made by an MJ stan for MJ fanatics in a futile attempt to discredit MJ's victims, shame the CSA survivors and a mockery of those who'd suffered from CSA. It's a biased student project that's produced by the uninformed/uneducated about CSA and its traumatic effects on child victims. The interviewed people in this so-called documentary are not credible when they hadn't been aware of (or witness to) MJ's pedophilic behavior behind closed doors or at Neverland Ranch. The sodium amytal theory is plain hogwash with no factual evidence to support it.Typically, children don't approach unfamiliar adults. So, Jenny is really lying about Jordan Chandler denial of experiencing MJ's molestation, which she'd claimed that he'd told her in person. As an MJ stan, she just made this up in a flailing attempt to defend her idol by waiting for this opportunity to say it. Far from investigative journalism, it's pure stan fiction that doesn't do justice to MJ's legacy. It's so unwatchable and a waste of time than doing actual research on CSA and the cases of MJ's child molestation/rape in their entirety for better understanding.

Julie
Julie
3 years ago

Plant a seed that the first known victim was after money ..then you can say all other accusers are the same.
Fans and family dont make for a real story . Very poor and definitely a conspiracy theory.

Helen
Helen
3 years ago

Totally misleading. Jordan Chandler filed a suit against Mj when he was legally able to do so at 18, for breaki g the terms of the NDA they all signed. Several leading psychiatrists interviewed him and were convinced he was telling the truth, one of them reported this to children s services. The DA’s office and police believed him as well. Not easy to go up against a powerful, wealthy celebrity like Jackson. Truth serum? Really? 😂

Elena
Elena
3 years ago

Great doc! Every one should share and watch this. Its so sad how bad people were to Michael. He is innocent and every one should know that!

fernando
fernando
3 years ago

great doc and the truth about the great human michael jackson, love lives forever #mjjinnocent

Don’t quote me on that
Don’t quote me on that
3 years ago

So sad to read such Freudian transference, point me to where you have debunked the evidence in this documentary Sherlock, citing the fiction that was Leaving Neverland the ‘documentary’ that failed to even speak to Brandi Jackson who dated proven serial liar Wade Robson for 7yrs, inc through the allegations, this director has been taken apart for his unethical doc many times inc a road crash interview he did on French tv, sorry to say it but you my friend are the flat earth Blinkered evangelical emotionally attached to a belief with no facts to back it up, I believe victims, in this case MJ is the victim

Revalesq
Revalesq
3 years ago

I like watching this on Juneteenth. The structure of racism works to destroy self made Black people and only prop up complete Pied Pipers.

Free Willy
Free Willy
3 years ago

What Michael did to children was criminal, and perhaps Michael's own self-abusive behavior, which ultimately led to his demise, reflected his awareness that what he did was wrong. It's disheartening to see the collective delusion of Michael Jackson-deniers. They literally deny the person as he existed. Was he the product of emotional and physical abuse? Was he immensely talented? Did he have abusive intimate relationships with children? The answer to all of these questions is yes. Unlike "Leaving Neverland," this is propaganda and distortion. Individuals who buy into this pseudo-doc defense of Michael Jackson, like flat-earthers, lunar landing-deniers, truthers and pizza-gate conspiracists, are simply highly susceptible to counter-factual theories. Michael Jackson sought out young boys, he flew them all over the world, he slept in the same bed as them in hotels and at his and their homes, but he never touched them inappropriately because he says so. The victims say otherwise. Michael left behind a truly rabid cult of irrational, unhealthy devotion and denial.

Bobby
Bobby
3 years ago

It’s an amazing factual account of what really happened to Jackson.. Easy to follow.. and finally exposing Michael Jackson’s innocence.. and the liars attempting to extort him

Kim
Kim
3 years ago

Michael Jackson is a very good musician and philanthropist.
The media and the people who have been framing for such absurd reasons should reflect on themselves. Michael Jackson was a pacifist and his music moved and entertained people all over the world. Thank you for the documentary showing true Michael Jackson.

Malicia069
Malicia069
3 years ago

The background music is too loud and distracts what is being said, grrrrr.

Theresa
Theresa
3 years ago

Very well made documentary and excellent interviews, very informative. so sad that there were those who are still looking to extract money from MJ even after he's has passed on..
The media and paparazzi have a lot to answer for the way they jump on the bandwagon of gossip and rumours just get a rating...

JudyAnne
JudyAnne
4 years ago

Michael was an amazing talent & human being.....his brilliant legacy will live on forever in his music & video's....what a wonderful gift he was to this planet.....Thank you for setting the record straight & honoring MJ's true legacy ......

TerriSLane
TerriSLane
4 years ago

VERY well made documentary! Lots of good details.

J patrick
J patrick
4 years ago

Where is the media now, to tell the truth, they to are low life just out for the money to make up stores. MJ was at the top and the top of the music is a very lonely place to be. That's why he liked having young people around, and he had no childhood. Anybody with half a brain would understand that MJ was not out to hurt anybody. Where are the lawsuits today that destroyed his life ? Why is it that some people are not locked up now ? Only in the USA can they get away with this . Try this in any other country you would get 20 years in jail. MJ was not my type of music, but to me this was a mark against the U.S. justice system. YES they are real smart , 3 strikes and you are out for smoking marijuana. 20 years in jail , while people can destroy other people lives walk around free.

Laurie MERRITHEW
Laurie MERRITHEW
4 years ago

V for Vendetta is a great documentary. The more you know.

Kirill
Kirill
4 years ago

Very informative docu. now it all make sense

Wade
Wade
4 years ago

oiii that matt lauer scene.........................

Bill
Bill
4 years ago

This documentary is so sad given what Jackson had to go through due to a few low life punks.