Salva is a convicted child molester

WOW i am shocked i dint know he really did it. wow thats all i can say.

You didn't know the kid or the situation. It's the art that should matter to the audience, not the artist.

A human made a mistake?!?! hold the press! The requisite "Salva is a molester" post was made on an imdb forum.

Despite your plea for a strike against Vic, I'm not one to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I've been inspired by his work without exception.

Yeah, he's a monster and his movies suck too.

PRIDE

Allow me to shed some light on this argument, as I'm sure I can provide some insight onto an experience some other people have not had. I don't necessarily know how to title this incident, so I'll just explain it with as little vulgarity as possible: I was the victim in a consensual sexual act, being told by one of my few friends in elementary school that we wouldn't be able to be friends anymore unless I did what he said. I was easily gullible at the time, and not wanting to lose one of the few friends I had, agreed to abide by anything he wanted me to do. In these sexual acts, I didn't really know what it was that we did (though I obviously do now), I just knew it was wrong, and I hated it and him for it. I don't remember how long it had lasted, save for it being awhile. When I finally had enough and couldn't take it anymore, I went to the principal's office and told them everything. The police had come, and my friend and his family, as well as my own, were there, along with the head faculty of the school. The end decision was that the child would be left in the same school with no punishment other than being moved to a different track than me. Was it fair? Was it justice? No. Should he have gotten a different punishment? Obviously. Eventually, I ended up changing elementary schools.

Now, I bring this up for a few reasons. One being that there is obviously a way for consensual sexual acts to be induced, as I am unfortunate proof of it. Another is that I hardly ever let it affect my life now. The only thing it affects are my memories. It's always going to be there, and I remember them vividly less often than not nowadays. And the final reason is that I've not necessarily come to forgiveness, but I suppose a form of pity and understanding toward this friend. I don't really know how to describe that feeling, but perhaps other people who have gone through a similar experience as myself could, as I'm sure there's a possibility most of them have had that feeling.

Knowing that, I want you to read these next words carefully: Before reading the message boards for this movie today, I had no idea he was a convicted child molester. To be quite honest, now that I do know that he is, it still doesn't change anything, other than the fact that I know something of his personal life that I suppose I'd rather not know. For an example, I love Van Gogh's paintings. They're really quite astonishing and breathtaking. Now, should the fact that I figured out after seeing his paintings that he had cut off his own ear and given it to his partner as a gift say that I shouldn't love his paintings? In my own opinion, I think that self-mutilation, especially in this form, is a lot more sickening than molestation. Not saying that either is a good thing, just so we're clear; just saying that it's my opinion that child molestation is not as awful as self-mutilation. And to be quite honest, I'm sure there's numerous artists and musicians and philosophers from older, less civilized days who are loved, yet have some sickening tendencies in their histories.

I've watched this movie too many times to count. I used to watch a lot of movies repeatedly when I was younger, and yet I think this movie is the movie I've watched the most. The only thing hindering me from watching it more nowadays is that I can't find it, which is extremely saddening, because of what a great and insightful film it is. I won't let the fact that he's a convicted child molester change my view of the movie, and to the rest of the people who are arguing that they showed too much of Scott Melchowicz's body in the movie, than you obviously didn't pay any attention to the character: he was a gymnast who had a very sexual nature about him.

On a side note, if you're still disregarding this movie because of the fact it was directed by a convicted molester, than watch it in this light: the movie is based off a book, and rather than supporting the director alone, you'd be supporting the cast, the crew, the author, and all their families. Without them, you wouldn't be able to see such great, insightful gems such as this movie, and then you wouldn't be both hoping to see other movies with Scott Melchowicz, but also looking for other books that the author of 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior' wrote. I actually bought two of his books after seeing this movie, and they're even more insightful.

Yet another way you could view this movie is in the regards that there is a chance that the director read the book sometime after his conviction, got inspired by it enough to change his ways and become a better person, and through that inspiration and his career decided to give it the credit it deserves and almost achieved. Do you think that's a fair compromise?

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