Image Entertainment is doing a new push for Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (originally released in January), and for good reason: Since the DVD's release, Roman Polanski has gone from eccentric, reclusive artist to front-page celebrity again.

I'd seen director Marin Zenovich's documentary a few times - and have always found it a fascinating portrayal of a confident, steadfast film director of the highest regard - but to see it in light of recent events brings the experience of Wanted and Desired a newfound immediacy. What's most fascinating is that it seems like the world isn't quite sure what to do with Polanski at this point, and to couple this recent influx of sentiment on the man and his notorious 1970s court case with the history and perspective this documentary broadcasts truly gets things multi-faceted and complex.

For this writer, it's a simple sentiment: I don't claim to know anything more than what a few news stories and this documentary have dictated about the man's American court case and subsequent flee to Europe, but god damn do I love the guy's movies. I know that's an unpopular sentiment right now - HOW CAN YOU ENJOY SOMETHING MADE BY A CHILD RAPIST!? - but Wanted and Desired drums up what was to me the most complex aesthetic question in terms of Polanski's cultural status: How much does a filmmaker's personal life (and, in Polanski's case, his disavowal of American law) influence an audience's appreciation? It sure seems like if a new Polanski movie were released in the States, it'd be protested up and down the block.....

As with any artistic-based conversation about Polanski's present status, there are multiple issues at play here (I'll respectfully leave all litigious questions to the American and international courts), and Wanted and Desired manages these concepts impressively. I doubt that newcomers to the film will fall in love with Polanski as a figure, but his story is nevertheless a fascinating one. It doesn't make me love his films any less, but it truly makes one wonder where the line between aesthetic appreciation and personal accountability lies.

At the end of the day, I definitely want justice to be served, but after that's all over and done, it'd be great to see a new Polanski picture hit cinemas....