There Is No Redemption Arc in the Real Michael Jackson Story

Michael Jackson during the HIStory World Tour in 1997 —Dave Hogan—Getty Images

The arrival of the biopic Michael is reopening a question that never stays buried: What do we do with a genius whose story is shadowed by allegations of harm? A big-budget studio film doesn’t simply revisit a public figure—it situates him in our cultural memory, smoothing some edges, flattening others, and elevating or puncturing myths. That makes the movie, and the arguments that will inevitably follow, a celebration and test of our selective attention...