5 docs that will make your blood boil
There's a been a true crime trend for the past couple of years with the release of the Serial podcast and the docu-series Making a Murderer. The Reddit community has dedicated long hours to "solving" what really happened to Hae Min Lee (the victim in Serial), and to Teresa Halbach (the victim in Making a Murderer). Some have suggested that such docs sensationalize the crime and give the "criminals" their 15 minutes of fame.
But I disagree.
These stories are worth telling and worth hearing. And as we watch them unravel, we waver from hating the protagonists, the alleged killers, to sympathizing with them. So here's a list of docs that will get you screaming at your screen as your blood boils at the corruption, lies, and scheming (mostly on the parts of policemen, lawyers and judges). These docs show a different perspective to otherwise "black and white" situations.
- West of Memphis: A group of teens are accused of brutally murdering three young boys in the 1990's. The doc explores how they cope with their convictions and follows some leads on who may have killed the three boys.
- The Central Park Five: Five teens are accused of raping a woman as she jogged through Central Park. The teens confess to the crime for various reasons, even though they were innocent. Ideas of racism and how the rape was covered in the media is a focal point of the doc.
- Badlands, Texas: A sleepy town made up of misfits who want to live off the grid gets a rude awakening when one of their own is murdered after a night of drinking. The town is divided by the trial and the eccentric characters dive into telling how the murder has affected them.
- Amanda Knox: This story was widely covered in the media, but after watching the doc and learning more about Meredith Kercher's murder, it seems like many things were blown widely out of proportion. Knox, who was living in Italy as an exchange student, retells the story of how she and her then-boyfriend were charged with Kercher's murder and spent time in prison for it.
- Sour Grapes: A seemingly rich wine connoisseur who is new to the scene cons others into buying (allegedly) fake wine. It's no murder, but it's interesting to take a peek inside the lavish world of wine and see how much some will spend for the perfect sip.
All are available to stream on Netflix now.
