MOVIE REVIEW

'EYE'-ING ABUSE CHARGES

By LOU LUMENICK

THE JAUNDICED EYE

WHEN Stephen Matthews came out as a gay man and moved from Michigan to California, it didn't sit too well with his ex-girlfriend, who was also the mother of his child.

She lodged lurid, homophobic child-abuse charges against not only Stephen, but also various members of his family, setting off a decade-long nightmare.

At its best, Nonny de la Peņa's "The Jaundiced Eye" makes provocative points about how the rights of accused child abusers can be compromised by coerced testimony from victims, overly aggressive law enforcement and inept defense attorneys.

Stephen Matthews and his straight father, both interviewed extensively, spent several years in prison after being convicted largely on the basis of medical tests that were later thrown out -- along with the charges -- as unreliable.-- Lou Lumenick

Running time: 90 minutes. Not rated. At the Screening Room, Varick and Canal streets.