Film Review: "Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich" (2022).

"Discover the monster behind the monster" with Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich. This crime documentary series directed by Maiken Baird and Lisa Bryant. From filmmakers behind Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich go beyond the headlines of the Ghislaine Maxwell case to tell the definitive story of Epstein's mysterious accomplice, illuminating how her class and privilege concealed her predatory nature.

On December 25, 1961, British convicted sex offender and former socialite, Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell, was born. Maxwell was raised in Oxford. In the 1980s she attended Balliol College, Oxford, and then became a prominent member of London's social scene. Maxwell worked for her father, Robert Maxwell, until his death in 1991; she then moved to New York City, where she continued living as a socialite and had a relationship with Epstein. In 2012, Maxwell founded a non-profit group for the protection of oceans. Following sex trafficking allegations being brought by prosecutors against Epstein in July 2019, the organisation announced cessation of operations the same month. Maxwell is a naturalised US citizen and retains both French and British citizenship. On 2 July 2020, Maxwell was arrested and charged by the federal government of the United States with the crimes of enticement of minors and sex trafficking of underage girls, related to her association with Epstein. She was denied bail as a flight risk, with the judge expressing concerns regarding her "completely opaque" finances, her skill at living in hiding, and the fact that France does not extradite its citizens. On 29 December 2021, she was convicted on five out of six counts, including one of sex trafficking of a minor. She faces a second criminal trial for two charges of lying under oath about Epstein's abuse of underage girls. On 28 June 2022, she was sentenced in a New York court to twenty years imprisonment.

It seems the events are too recent for the documentary to do an excruciating journalistic job. But it serves as a much needed platform for the victims. These types of documentaries make everything unsurprising. They tell their stories boldly and more, but what truly resonates throughout the four-part documentary is the complicity of government agencies and officials. The film is an extremely important testament to one of the most sinister sexual predators in history. While we watch it, it is impossible not to experience a roller coaster of emotions: disgust. The film, which documents the crimes of alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice, is a one-hundred-minute nightmare that will probably be aggravating if not triggering for a lot of people. Maxwell's horrible acts are fit for the 'true crime' formula by Netflix. And this series guarantees a full exposure, even when we realize it could have been better. The bravery of the dozen or so young women going before the camera to tell their horrifying stories is remarkable and obviously not very easy, even now, ten to fifteen years after the fact. The film is eminently watchable, and enraging. But it comes no closer to unraveling Maxwell than any previous reportorial attempts have managed.

Simon says Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich receives:

Also, see my review for Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.