The Jaundiced Eye
by B.J. Hammerstein

"Monroe has a whole different meaning to me now, and it's not good."

These are the words of Stephen Matthews, a gay man who, along with his father Melvin, was sentenced to 35 years in jail when they were both charged with sexually abusing Stephen's five-year-old son in 1989.

The Jaundiced Eye is Nonny de la Peña's documentary about the ramifications of being charged a pedophile, and how the justice system at the time dealt with issues of homophobia and criminal sexual misconduct allegations. The film, an interesting one that has emotional testimonials from the Matthews family, Stephen's ex-wife Danette and other key court room players, shows how devastating stigmas can be and how the majority of people will almost always believe a child, especially when the child makes accusations that pornographic and disturbing and accuses not only his father, but his grandfather too.

"Very humiliating" is the way Stephen Matthews described his experience when first entering prison. And while the documentary covers the Matthews men during their stay at prison (four years in the can before charges were eventually dropped) it is during this point of the film where it becomes evident that these two certainly didn't harm the child. As the frustration of being a "pedophile" sets in for Stephen, de la Peña captures his rage, confusion and disbelief in a very dramatic fashion that makes you grimace in disgust and terror.

The film itself isn't particularly stylish and not unlike many of the magazine programs that grace our TVs on a nightly basis, but the story is a compelling one and shows how effective journalism can be such a powerful tool. The Jaundiced Eye reveals a nightmare in a town many of you know as home, and very effectively shows how this tale of deceit devastated the lives of the Matthews family. Through it all, Stephen Matthews still wanted to be close to his son and try to understand why this was all happening to him. And while the conclusion of the film is a sad one with a lingering question of "Why?" it was later revealed that Stephen Matthews and his son have been reunited at least to some degree.