The Staircase (2004)

Review of the documentary The Staircase

Writer Michael Peterson was at home with his wife Kathleen at their swimming pool, when she decided she wanted to go back into the house. When her husband also returned he found her at the bottom of the stairs, covered in blood, but still breathing. He dialled 911, but his wife died. At least that’s the story Peterson is telling. The police didn’t believe that story and treated him as a suspect, a man who murdered his wife.

This 8 part documentary mini series shows the details of the case, follows the defense and witnesses the unbelievable things which happen during the trial. As the defense lawyer states to the camera crew when something from Peterson’s past is dug up: “Your documentary just became very interesting”. Continue reading

Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)

review documentary Murder on a Sunday (2001)

I’m always fascinated by documentaries which show the justice system at work. Maybe it’s because I studied law, but the process always is interesting to watch (even though all my knowledge of the American system comes from movies) and Murder on a Sunday Morning shows a lot of that. The case is about an elderly couple who was on holiday in Florida. They were at their motel and a black man robbed them, killing the wife. The man gave out a description and only 90 minutes later 15-year-old Brenton Butler is arrested and positively ID’ed by the husband and the police have a signed confession. It seems like a closed case and is taken to trial. When that trial starts it becomes clear that it is all but a closed case and that the police might have not done everything they should have. Continue reading

West of Memphis (2012)

Review of the documentary West of Memphis

Last year I watched and reviewed the Paradise Lost trilogy, three documentaries about the Memphis Three. These boys (16,17 and 18) were the suspects in a the murder case of three 8-year-old boys. They went to trial and were convicted. The movies were hard to watch because of the subject matter, but were very important, because they made a case that the three convicted boys might be innocent. The case got international attention and through the years the documentary makers kept coming back to the case with new insights, which eventually set them all free. West of Memphis also looks at the case and the question is whether it brings anything new to the table after watching the 400 minutes of Paradise Lost documentaries. Continue reading

Into the Abyss (2011)

When it comes to documentary filmmakers there are a couple of them that stand out to me either because of their personalities or their documentaries. Those are Morgan Sperlock, Michael Moore, Errol Morris and Werner Herzog. Especially Herzog stands out to me since the subject of his documentaries varies so much, whether it is a guy that was eaten by bears, wall paintings in a cave or in this documentary a murder case. He always adds his own trademark way of telling the story and asking questions others would not. An example here is at the beginning when he interviews a priest who is present at executions who tells him how he sometimes enjoys getting away from it all and go out golfing. He tells how he enjoys seeing the grass, the birds and squirrels. Herzog asks him if he could tell a story about the squirrels (you’d probably agree it’s a bit of an odd question) and the priest tells about them and breaks down. It’s exactly that which I like so much about Herzog. Continue reading

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Andrew Bagby is a 28-year-old medical student who starts a relationship with 41-year-old Shirley Jane Turner. Although his parents and friends get a weird feeling about it, it seems that she makes him happy, at least for a while. He decides to end the relationship, but it’s something Turner can’t handle and his lifeless body is found in a park. It’s a big shock to his family and friends, which gets bigger once they find out that she is pregnant with his child.

When director Kurt Kuenne, one of his childhood friends with whom he made a lot of home movies, hears the story he decides to make a documentary about Andrew. The goal is that this can be shown to his son Zachary when he’s older. This way he can learn who his father was. This movie is more than just a story about Andrew. It is one of the most emotionally gripping documentaries I’ve ever seen. Continue reading