On the Periphery of the Screen:Paratextual Perspectives on Roman Polanski’s J’accuse

Abstract

This study examines how knowledge of an auteur’s personal controversy influence audience interpretations of film, through analysis of Roman Polanski’s J’accuse (2019) and its reception. By complicating the role of the auteur and the perceived authority they hold over their work through contemporary ideas of reception, J’accuse is used as an example of how authorship and audience knowledge interact in readings of the film. This study argues that prior knowledge of Polanski’s biography encourages viewers to interpret narrative choices as personal commentary rather than storytelling. This argument is supported through film analysis, reception analysis, and existing research on meaning-making.