User Reviews

A documentary of this nature (psychological/sexual abuse) is always going to provoke strong opinions. As long as the viewer understands what "Phoenix Rising" is--and what it isn't--it can be appreciated.

For a very basic overview, this doc tells the story of Evan Rachel Wood, an actress probably most famous for her current role on the HBO hit "Westworld". Wood details how, after beginning a relationship with Brian Warner (also known as Marilyn Manson), she was "groomed" by him, or sexually and psychologically tormented for many years. After escaping the relationship, Wood becomes a strong advocate for legislation that promotes a longer statute of limitations for women to pursue prosecution against their abusers.

For the most part, "Phoenix Rising" is Wood's harrowing tale of how Warner brutalized her (physically and emotionally). Some of the descriptions are truly not for the faint of heart. I have absolutely no doubts that she was subjected to intense torment at his hands. In almost every sense, Warner deserves to be investigated and vetted for everything Wood accuses him of, as if true it constitutes severe abuse (if not outright domestic slavery, at times).

That being said, "Phoenix Rising" is very much Wood's story--not a comprehensive account of relationship violence as a whole. For example, I think a reasonable assumption can be made that there might exist some personal/familial factors that contributed towards Wood's long-term association with Manson. Again, that isn't to say that I distrust anything Wood is bringing to the table here--only that we are only getting her interpretations of events here and we're all sort of the hero of our own story. The fact that no introspection exists here from Wood was a bit disappointing--it's all about going after Warner.

There are also a few times where "Phoenix Rising" is downright manipulative. For example, Wood's fractured parental structure is played for sympathy, while Warner's similar upbringing is used to demonize him. This doc really doesn't play fair, in that aspect, and Warner is such an easy target that such subtle stylings easily go unnoticed.

Overall, "Phoenix Rising" ends up being a solid--and often heartbreaking--documentary. A story that deserves to be told, to be certain. However, it isn't spectacular because of how manipulative it can be narrative-wise and--fairly or unfairly--how it doesn't present any introspection or bird's-eye view of the entire situation.

This is a documentary about a number of things. E. R. Wood. Her family, upbringing and first career steps. Her relationship with Manson, the treatment she suffered there, and from an opportunistic, exploitive and occasionally vulgar press. How she got out of it, and, after a period of relief, couldn't ignore her symptoms anymore. Then her efforts to cope with them, on a personal level but also by making the story public. And then a number of agendas that emerge from there.

A change of legislation, for example, regarding statutory limits. Efforts to encourage others, to make themselves heard, and a desire to prevent others from falling into the same trap. And finally a wish and attempt to hold Manson himself accountable.

Much could be said about each of these items. Domestic violence. Abuse rampant in the entertainment business, and the constant hush-up due to the each-for-himself mentality and the money involved. Then, having gone through such an experience, the very tough question of what might actually help you, personally, in getting back on track and find some productive form of healing. The matter of the advice that you get, and if it's always good, considering that the priorities of parties joining you might differ. And so forth. It's endless.

Myself - and the documentary supports this approach when making her the main narrator - I simply focused on what she had to say about her personal experience, and her subjective view on it. In particular, there can be little doubt that what she tells is true. The description of the treatment she's been subjected to is all too familiar. Just as the description of her symptoms is. Fact is, you can literally see her still suffer from them right there.

Very saddening. The documentary, and she herself, try to put the entire matter into a broader context, to promote a cause. Of mixed nature, after all, when it becomes about the issue of holding the perpetrator accountable. Yet, at the center of it is still the individual, the pain and the damage. And for us, lots of food for thought, for discussion and reconsideration of ones own actions, as responsible members of our society and consumers of entertainment business and (tabloid) press products.

This documentary has an important message, and it goes more into detail on Brian Warner and his borderline pedophilia and sexual abuse.

However, the documentary itself is far too long with way too many random panoramic shots on landscapes and close ups of Wood doing nothing.

I would have appreciate less time on the reality-show aspect of Wood's daily life, and more time spent on the other victims, the power structure in Hollywood, and the victim blaming culture - the continuous focus on Woods might make folks pull away, as it ends up becoming more of a biography than an awareness campaign.

I did, however, appreciate the small snippet on the statute of limitations (what an awful concept).

A chilling documentary on an age-old problem, domestic violence. What grabs our attention is that both people in the couple involved are famous. If you can get past the name recognition you will see all the telltake signs of classic abuse: grooming, honeymoon period, isolation, escalation from verbal to physical abuse, gaslighting, threats and a tremendous power imbalance. It would be mundane were it not so horrifying.

As usual, we have reviews here that are not discussing the contents of the film. The fact is that if the accused is not guilty of what is alleged, he must say that there was no basis for anything in his art and in his autobiography, whereas everything his accuser says is backed up by everything he has in his music, his videos and his own published account of his life and mental state. I believe her because I believe him. If the accusations are not true, he has hurt himself by spontaneously creating this preponderance of evidence for over a decade and then disavowing it when suddenly people actually took him at his word.

I feel it is more a bio film than documentary. Many, many questions. But there is too much there to dismiss. If any small bit of it is fact, from any of the accusers, the accused is a monster. I gave it a middle review but will change my opinion as facts are known. Powerful, cautionary and in need of follow up I want part two. Keep coming back to Cosby and rape by lack of consent. We need to talk about Bill Cosby is a better film. But maybe just because it was post conviction.

It was horrifying & shocking to see what Ms. Wood endured at the hands of her abuser, but awe-inspiring to learn how she channeled her energies into helping other survivors. Pushing to change archaic laws with arbitrary statues of limitation is a cause that will help countless victims of crimes. Shining a light on abusers by both naming them & outlining their tactics will help prevent future victims from being preyed upon. Knowledge truly is power.

The backlash from this film will undoubtedly open wounds both new & old, and the path will continue to be difficult to walk. I sincerely hope that Ms. Wood can take heart knowing that her strength has inspired & empowered others. I hope she can heal, live her life on her own terms, and continue bringing amazing things into this world. Shalom aleichem.

I've enjoyed the work of both Rachel and Marilyn at different times, so was curious to see what the doco had to offer. As the old saying goes, 'there's he said, she said and what really happened'. This is definitely from the 'she said' perspective.

Marilyn was all about testing boundaries and his music and visuals would not be given a pass in today's hypersensitive times. I'd pretty much forgotten his video clips and they really are pretty full-on. I remember there were a lot of conservatives and concerned parents rallying against him agt the time and it turns out their concerns were valid, if Rachel's story is to be believed - her accusations remain just that at this point.

She claims to have suffered multiple forms of abuse and I think she probably did. He was one pretty weird dude. What is not explored in greater depth is how her family, particularly her brother, felt about all this and why she stayed for so long. Surely she told her friends what was going on. What did they say? Did anyone offer her a safe haven for escape? Did she have any therapy during this time? What was the result if she did? I don't ask these questions from a victim-blaming perspective, but one of genuine curiosity.

What could be interesting is a 'he said' companion piece, but that's not going to happen. I guess the one thing to take away from this doco is that exposing a child to showbusiness at an early age is not a good idea, no matter how exciting it may seem.

This documentary follows Wood along her path to healing and justice after suffering from a severely abusive relationship with Brian Warner. I always thought MM was a waste of everyone's time, and I'm not overly surprised that he's awful, I mean, he's been telling us how messed up and dark he is (and wants to be this way) for a long time.

I really feel for her, and hope he goes to prison.

If you get a documentary that is telling a story (no pun intended and not trying to discredit) from one perspective - it will be that. One sided and might come off as biased. On the other hand, the way Evan Rachel Wood is telling the things she is saying and some other witnesses coming forward do make a compelling story - again no pun intended.

On the other hand, Marilyn Manson seems to be quite the perfect boogeyman. Have someone who is weird, who has already released a book about his broken childhood ... it is almost too on the nose and too cliche.

Now writing all that, there are and will be those who will choose a team and stick with it. You will either believe everything Evan is saying or you are going to still be a Manson fan and call her bad names. It is tough and quite impossible to stay impartial. You cannot be objective, there is almost no chance that you will not choose a side.

And that will inform how you will feel about the documentary, but also about any review writenn about this documentary. If I were to say I believe him or her, you would based on your opinion, find this useful or not. I am not trying to pander to anyone, but the truth may be way more complicated than we would like it to be.

Just from listening to Rachel one may come to the conclusion that certain things may have felt one way to her and completely different to Manson. I am not sure, if he is that calculated as she makes him to be. That being said, I do believe she had a hard time and still struggles under certain things. They both seem like broken personalities. They even have similar backgrounds when it comes to their parents. While it is being shown in a negative light when it comes to Manson, it is almost romanticized when it is about Evan Rachels parents.

Again this is quite complicated and there are many aspect to consider - I will not make up your mind about this ... but if you are as curious as I was, you will want to watch it. I do not feel this being as clear cut as the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp "fight". It seems quite clear that Depp is the victim in that confrontation (and the one who is innocent, if you want to use that word) ... here though ... well tough one to crack. Which might make you want to hit the unhelpful button anyway.

Edit: I understand that everything that is being said and written can trigger some. Especially in cases like this. Obviously not rooting clearly for one or the other may even upset both sides (how dare I feel a bit of sympathy with the one that very likely is the abuser in this case?). That being said, I hope people understand that it is important to help victims of abuse. Whatever you may think of her, Evan Rachel Woods helped making that case - she even was able to push through an extension on how long abuses can be criminally viable. So try to take that into account - and as I already stated above: it is ok to disagree with ones opinion. Don't silence voices though - you are becoming part of the problem if you do do that.

I want to first state I'm not a Marilyn Manson fan and my critique of this documentary is about the documentary itself and it's premise.

Making a documentary to publicly accuse someone of crimes before these things have been determined as factual, is extremely disturbing to me. This additional makes me wonder the "authenticity" of abuse claims.

This documentary clearly paid ERW and creators to make it and she makes money by using MM as a tool.

Essentially the authenticity of this documentary is extremely questionable. The one-sidedness off the story telling and the clear intent to smear Manson and destroy his career and for the makers of this documentary to profit on doing so.

The question becomes what is abuse? Is it what Manson is accused of doing? Which is something that has not been proven or tried in court at this time. Or is it creating a documentary to destroy someone's career and life a decade later and to directly profit from doing so.

Brave, poignant and extremely important viewing for today's society that struggles with an enormous amount of domestic violence and narcissistic abuse in every level of society. No one is immune and Evan Rachel Wood rips herself wide open to expose just how true this is even as an A list Hollywood actor dating a rock icon. Victims are shamed and slandered while abusers are often given all the rights due to extremely outdated laws and a corrupt criminal justice system. Evan has helped change this through speaking out. It takes an enormous amount of backbone, integrity and strength to stand up and speak out about this kind of thing after being systematically tortured, isolated, manipulated, abused, harassed and controlled. It is a targeted demantling of your entire soul, carefully crafted so slowly by the narcissist who has selected you, groomed you and put you up on the highest pedastal during the love bombing and future faking process only to suddenly drop you down to the fires of hell where you are tortured and laughed at, mocked and devalued. It's difficult to explain unless you have lived it. I have, I was almost killed by my ex narcissist abuser and the criminal justice system failed me in a big way with 19 charges being dropped on technicalities, then refusing to arrest him over and over despite him reoffending while on conditions and allowing him to not appear in court 6 times without any consequences.

He has now moved on to abuse new victims and still hasn't been rearrested even while on probation. He is similar to Manson but on a smaller scale....being a metal drummer for a band with some small time success in the late 90s and early 2000s and a Psychic medium in our state. He preys on vulnerable empathic women in exactly the same way, he even uses some of the same phrases which was triggering for me to watch. I have an enormous amount of respect for this woman for standing up to her abuser and speaking her truth. Facts and evidence don't lie. This film takes you through the heartbreaking journey with her in shocking detail. I stand with Evan Rachel Woods. Heartbreaking but must see film. Thank You Evan.

I didn't know that Marilyn "Manson" has this much unethical fans like himself and they would come and rate this one out of ten and defend him this blindly!

It's a good documentary. For those who are saying that Evan is lying... you must be blind or something or well-paid to write such reviews and comments.

It's horrible and unbelievable for us as outsiders to even consider walking with someone like Manson! Just imagine being with him in a house, alone. It's horrible. I can't see what's not to believe.

This kind of Manson's lifestyle, attitudes and crimes must be stop.

Not everyone who likes his music is a racist or something like that but lots of them are and they are bragging about it.

7.3/10.

There was huge potential for this documentary. For those of us who remember when Dita moved out and within seconds Evan was appearing in public with Manson, and then six months later they destroyed Dita's bed with fake blood in a video they called "a love letter to each other", we were ready to hear the backstory. We were ready to hear about how bad the relationship was even when it looked so exciting. Manson was head in heels over heels in love, calling her is "twin." She went on the interview circuit, defending and celebrating her relationship with him every time. Her career took off like a rocket, completing four movies and getting two roles in a series, and even being up for Emmy nomination, after doing Heart Shaped Glasses.

But then things got very very weird, and for a decade I've been waiting to hear the backstory and was so eager to hear her tell it. She moved out at the end of 2008, Manson spent Christmas alone, cutting himself for each time she refused to answer the phone as he told Spin magazine in June 2009. Then, they spent a year apart, during which she completed the movie The Wrestler, and Manson completed the album High End of Low with Twiggy. It was a huge thing, Twiggy coming back. And the album was extremely dark, and he told everyone, quite openly, that the album was about killing Evan and himself.

And then after her year away from him, dating four other people, she returned and accepted a marriage proposal. WHAT?! So, honestly, seriously, I have been waiting for YEARS to find out what really happened.

Instead, this documentary was itself psychological abuse. We are gaslit over and over. We are told that her career tanked after HSG and he enjoyed this because it isolated her -- you're right here on IMDB reading this, so go take a glance at her profile yourself and see if that's even vaguely true. We are told she returned after shooting The Wrestler and inexplicably Manson was not happy to see her and Twiggy didn't like her (uh, you were no longer together and Twiggy just helped put his friend back together after you leaving). She represents herself as a child. She says NOTHING about the album dedicated to Manson's murder-suicide fantasy, even though if one is exposing an abusive ex, you'd think that would be in your top 3 things to mention. But they don't. Why not? Probably because she'd have a lot to explain in her own behavior. So they opt to hide HIS effed up behavior if it will also hide hers.

They also depict her in epic fear and danger after naming him. What? They've been apart 13 years. Manson is married. He's in his 50s, out of shape, and walks with a cane. But you wouldn't know that because they only show footage of him in his 20s in the 1990s, a decade and a half before he even met her.

Their evidence is this: In his 20s he did awesome shows. In junior high he wrote sad things in his journal. As a teenager, he threw something at his mother and felt horrible about it. Again, this man was pushing 40 when he met her and is now over 50. What in the hell does his junior high moping have to do with anything? I wanted to hear about who he was when he was with Evan.

Worse, this "documentary" is going to make it so much harder for people stuck in abusive relationships to recognize that they need to get out. Women often compare their situation to others and then say "oh, this isn't so bad, I should make it work." Well, now Evan has set the bar absurdly high -- apparently abuse means you were trafficked, raped on a video set with none of the crew stopping it, whipped, and forced to drink blood. She represents herself as a child and lies about Manson being her first adult kiss. This again, is a huge disservice to women -- it's telling us that if we're not virgins and innocent it's not actually abuse. Evan, listen, we knew you weren't a virgin and you did a ton of racy edgy films before meeting him -- a young woman with that history CAN STILLL BE ABUSED. So why not tell us that -- that you weren't innocent, and yet even with your experience you fell prey to a real mess of a destructive relationship.

Why tell such unbelievable lies and rather than the godawful truth?

A necessary documentary to stop a predator.

I have read a few reviews and I can not believe that there are still people shaming the victims. What she and others have been through is a crime and if you don't see that you should be behind bars!

I have been waiting for this documentary since I read that it was in the making, I'm disgusted and ashamed that I was ever a fan of his, I never read or saw any of the accusations previous to all of this hitting recently. I was fairly young growing up; idolizing him. When people say "of course he was into aggressive sex, he's Marilyn Manson" - ya, you would always think that but you always thought the partner was Agreeing and A wanted participator and they weren't and comments like that; are victim blaming .

I stand with Evan Rachel Wood- I stand with all of his victims.

Marilyn Manson is an abuser & rapist.

Brian Warner/Marilyn Manson tortured, raped, emotionally abused, and beaten a lot of women.

Let this documentary find its way to sooooo many screens in this world. Let-him-burn-

Disgusting that people are calling this fiction and that she's lying, god forbid anything like this happens to them or their daughters/sisters etc, I can only hope that they never have to go through this ordeal. This woman is incredibly brave for speaking her truth, I doubt she cares whether Manson incel simps don't believe her.

Not only has it come to light that Ashley Morgan Smithline been coerced into lying for these people, but Esme Bianco, Illma Gore and Evan have managed to create a baseless story, pieced together with the help of the once-credible Amy Berg, to create a film that strongly relies on the audience's response to the #metoo movement.

There will be a strong percentage of survivors who watch this and believe it, based on emotion and personal experience. Some may remember the 90s and even fear Manson, based on his excessive stage presence and reputation, his ghostwritten book, and media campaigns to project him into superstardom. Stage presences aren't real, and neither is this. Phoenix Rising is designed to play with your emotions. I have been paying close attention since the accusations against this man were put against him and nothing ever made sense. It's only coming out now, with legal documentation to back up the falsehoods, proving there was never an FBI investigation. Everything you see is a lie.

Phoebe Bridgers was never at a party, but went with her friend's parents to see Manson, because she was a fan. The meeting was in regard to Manson being on Sons of Anarchy. The parents of her friend Jackson White are Katey Sagal & Kurt Sutter. His description of the specific room he is accused of talking about, would have been at a casual business meeting. This was the basis for a large part of this whole story.

More and more information is being released, and while Evan is ever the victim, the true target here, is a man who has long been used as a scapegoat. I am a balanced person, who doesn't take anything at face value.

As a woman and survivor of abuse, inflicted on my by my own narcissistic and violent mother, I would suggest any survivors view this with a sceptical eye. Women lie too and do it well.

I am so disappointed and disgusted to see Amy Berg behind this. I assumed she was someone she clearly isn't, and her part will forever change the way I see her work; unreliable, poorly researched and an elaborate hit piece. I'm deeply saddened to say this, but I could never trust her again.

A sometimes hard to hear, but brave and necessary look into the horrors endured by a young girl. She gives a voice to other victims who might otherwise have never been able to come forward.

If you've ever been in an abusive relationship, you will feel and understand every second of this documentary. Chilling, real, and honest. Thank you Evan for making this and coming forward and working so hard for change. In Canada (where I am), we don't have a stature of limitation on abuse and it's sickening that some places do. I am 7 years out of my abusing relationship and I still struggle and it took me years to not feel the guilt and shame that the relationship caused me.

This movie was so brutally honest it was ultimately uplifting. I saw myself in Evan Rachel Wood and it made me feel stronger, believed. She truly comes off as a survivor telling her story to protect others and despite the costs or fear . She's every perpetrator's worst nightmare and I love her and this documentary for that.

Survivors will see themselves in this documentary and walk away inspired. This movie is all about taking your power back. Evan Rachel Wood and everyone involved in the making of this production is a hero in my book.

If you need a fictional documentary to fall asleep to, this is it. Apart from the fact that none of her statements or accusations have been proven true or false, it is basically just a far too long "doc series" of her standing around staring at her still not presented "proof" and other documents while recounting past moments she isn't proud of without taking the slightest bit of accountability for her own choices and actions. If you publish something like this, at least make sure your own story doesn't contradict itself to establish credibility.

The people who write things like "He showed us who he was with the way he looked". "I always knew because of his music and image", "The parents who protested against his music were right" are really disturbing to me. You're the kind of people who would burn "witches". You need to stop. There was nothing wrong with his music or image. He didn't promote anything that he did to Evan Rachel Wood or any other woman in his music. He really served as comfort to many. And it's sad it was fake. There are tons of musicians with image and music way darker than his and they're normal people. You couldn't know based on his image and you need to stop acting like children who think that the world is black & white.

As a long time fan of his music, a former fan now, all of this was difficult to hear. He is so talented but such a horrible man. I'm really sorry he marked Wood's life in this way. It was interesting hearing about her family too. I decided to rate it 10 because it kept my attention and it's an important story. But I would have liked it to be less artistic shots and more just telling what happened. Nevertheless she presented their dynamic well and I understood that he's nothing but a groomer. I'd advise kids to not put too much stock in musicians and don't worship them. I find people still obsessed with him who don't wanna believe who he really is, very sad. It's cultish behavior and you don't need that in your life. The way they spam dislikes on these reviews is kinda tragic for who they are as humans. It also doesn't change reality.

Normally, I'd give this piece a five-star rating because that's what I give to documentaries that are one-sided. However, in this case, it's even worse than that. The so-called "documentary" provides a platform for a scorned lover seeking revenge, who seems willing to resort to lies and falsified documents to achieve her goals. The question arises as to why she loved him if he was so terrible. She absolves herself of any responsibility for being in the relationship and places all the blame on the other person. I am eager for the defamation trial and for the other side of the story to be presented.