The Fear of 13

I just finished watching "Fear of 13" on Netflix and was blown away by this true life story.

After being mistreated as a boy, Nick Yarris' young naive life took a turn. He chose to act out by doing illegal acts which eventually led him to become more than a mere suspect, but a victim of backward and judgmental law enforcement during the days prior to DNA testing.

Ending up on death row, Nick, through dedication, becomes well educated, borne out of the kindness of one guard who tells him to do one thing. That one act led to intellectual growth, after which Nick begins to seek aid from numerous officials and one particular person/organization.

This is not the sort of story one wants to pause to fix a sandwich or rush to the bathroom, as it is all too engrossing. Throughout the film, Nick is well spoken, tells his life story with words and manners that reflect the person he alone grew to become, despite having been locked in a cell, in solitary confinement, for decades. Not letting all the terrible incidents that took place in confinement to turn him into an evil person, he, instead, became filled with purpose and vision.

This film is a must watch for all fans of liberation. Please, don't miss this one.

On the face of it, a documentary that spends a full hour and a half sitting with one guy as he talks to the camera doesn't sound all that interesting. Yet THE FEAR OF 13 turns out to be stark, compelling and ultimately moving viewing, because the interview subject has one hell of a story to tell.

In essence, this is a story of Death Row and the life and death struggle that takes place within. Nick Yarris was sent down in the 1980s, but his life story incorporates much more than a simple tale of life behind bars. There's action in the form of thrilling police chases, a murder mystery, courtroom drama, a blistering critique of the American justice system, and finally catharsis of sorts.

Director David Sington commendably avoids tricks for the most part, content for Yarris to tell his own story in his own words - after all, it needs no embellishment. There are a couple of flashbacks and some evocative music and sound to fit the theme, and it all works. THE FEAR OF 13 is a fine piece of film-making and one that deserves to be seen by all.

Nick Yarris was convicted of a horrible crime and sentenced to death – this is his story. It is basically Nick telling the story of his life to camera and mostly done in a chronological fashion. There is some re enactment of his past life as a child but that is a small part of the film.

For a film that basically just has one man talking to the camera for the majority of the time, this is incredibly powerful. It is an amazing, sad and moving story and I challenge anyone not to be moved by it. I watched it over a week ago and have only just decided to write a review to see if the film had lost any of its potency and nope it has not.

To say any more runs the risk of spoiling the story so I will demur, this is recommended to anyone who appreciates the uniqueness that real life can portray and who appreciate quality in their film making.

The first thing that struck me about this film was Mr Yarris's incredible story telling ability. It is non-fiction but I immediately had to IMDb it to check because I was sure he was an actor. His talent with words and elegance with delivery grows throughout the film. This, coupled with skillfully placed flash back scenes, completely immerse you into the story. Yarris's life could easily be argued as one of the most tragic ever to be lived. For a film which is essentially a 90 minute interview, I was completely blown away by how much it entertained me and moved me. A dark horse of quality film and story telling. Added to my repeat watch list and recommended to everyone I know.

The story of Nick Yarris was completely alien to me before I saw this documentary. The first impression I got when introduced to him was that of great sadness and loss. His face and body looked tired, drained from whatever he had experienced - at the end I understood why.

The Fear of 13 does not necessarily tackle new issues; nor does it highlight anything one hasn't seen before. The struggles of convicts, their fight for survival inside a maximum security prison is no new genre. However, this story sucks you in from the beginning and keeps you listening all the way to the end. Stripping the documentary down to the bare essentials keeps it intriguing. Atmospheric music complements Yarris' somber voice with recreated scenes as he opens up about his past. And although the narrative of death row inmates have been shared before, there is an eloquence about Yarris that makes his story unique. There are times when I doubted the authenticity of certain professed anecdotes, but it was hard to disagree with the vigor in which he spoke about them.