Detroit

"The Jaundiced Eye" exposes problems with perception in small Michigan town

By K. Michelle Moran
Arts & Entertainment Editor

In the late l980s, despite a lack of physical evidence, Stephen Matthews and his father Melvin were falsely convicted of viciously molesting Stephen's son and sentenced to 35 years in jail.

But as director Nonny de la Peña demonstrates in her documentary The Jaundiced Eye, prejudice goes a long way towards coloring perception, and in the Matthews' small hometown of Monroe, Michigan, Stephen's homosexuality is viewed as reason to believe he is a pedophile.

De la Peña employs a journalistic detachment in this complex, disturbing analysis of justice and judgment, coolly piling on observations from experts to build a case for Stephen and Melvin's eventual release. As the film demonstrates, it's a bittersweet victory, won in the wake of divisiveness and irreparable damage to the Matthews family.

You can reach K. Michelle Moran at kmoran@candgews.com.