Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a 1995 American film made for television that originally aired on HBO on May 20, 1995. Indictment is based on the true story of the McMartin preschool trial. Oliver Stone and Abby Mann were executive producers of the film, which was directed by Mick Jackson. The cast includes James Woods and Mercedes Ruehl, as opposing defense and prosecuting attorneys in the McMartin trial. Henry Thomas, Sada Thompson and Shirley Knight co-star as the defendants in the case, with Lolita Davidovitch as a child-abuse therapist whose findings were crucial to the prosecution's case and Roberta Bassin as the mother who initiated the case.

Summary

A defense lawyer defends an average American family from shocking allegations of child abuse and satanic rituals. After seven years and $15 million, the trial ends with the dismissal of all charges. George Freeman is the star witness in the trial. Kee MacFarlane and Wayne Satz are in a romantic relationship. The poster and ads for the movie declare "The charges were so shocking, the truth didn't matter."

Cast

Reception

John J. O'Connor, writing for The New York Times: "This is a portrait of mass hysteria, fueled by panic-stricken parents, overzealous prosecutors, irresponsible talk shows and an out-of-control tabloid press ... Is 'Indictment' balanced? Is it fair to the other side? No. As Mr. [Abby] Mann puts it, 'What other side?' Watch it and shudder." Also writing for The New York Times, Seth Mydans said: "The film makes no pretense at objectivity: There are good guys in the McMartin saga, and there are very, very bad guys ... Nor does the film try to examine difficult issues. It is a drama not so much about the painful process of assessing children's stories of abuse or about the fear and guilt their parents feel but about the destructiveness of a system run amok." The Los Angeles Times described the docudrama as "HBO’s frothing, highly opinionated account of the case". Variety reports this "fact-based HBO Pictures presentation ... makes no apologies for depicting the infamous child molestation case as a witch hunt" and leaves "little leeway for surprise. Even so, the well-acted cabler hits its targets with a take-no-prisoners gusto".

Accolades

Impact

The film is cited as a watershed in the shift of ideas about satanic ritual abuse, recasting Ray Buckey as a victim of a hysterical conspiracy rather than a child abuser.