Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie

Unlike the sensationalism and speed of the Netflix documentary, Jim Sheridan's series is more contemplating and filled with heartfelt sadness. In that way I prefer this documentary, even though I was very hesitant at first.

The director in person, carefully sheds light on all the facts, the testimonies, the mistakes in the research, the need to find justice.

During my visits to West Cork with my family I have come to fall in love with the beautiful country. It is heartbreaking to find out about the dreadful event that took place over there and realizing that true justice is still not served.

One man claims he is innocent, many say the opposite but the irrefutable evidence is lacking. Nevertheless the documentary remains gripping to the last minute. All the details, the conversations, the emotions. I loved its attention to detail, the background information, the facts, the doubt, the beautiful landscape that was once the silent witness of the crime committed.

In The Netherlands (my country) recently a well-known research reporter was killed. Peter R. De Vries was very famous for overlooking all the facts and using modern forensic research methods to solve cases like these. I would have liked to hear his opinion on this case and if there would be a way to find true justice.

If they dispensed with the dozen or more talking heads and repeating the same scenes over and over, plus the, long, lingering shots of the countryside it would be a lot more watchable. I found myself fast forwarding so treacly slow was the pace.

Why in the world did they spend so much time and effort and money and energy on a person who clearly wasn't guilty? They could've been looking elsewhere. No wonder this case wasn't successful! This poor woman laid there for over 24 hours before they even removed her cold body from the scene. I pity Ireland and their judicial system. They're not equipped to deal with serious crimes. They tried to blackmail people. Set this Ian dude up. That guy and his wife has to live with that mess for the rest of their lives because instead of the garda trying to find the ACTUAL murderer, they spent all that time ruining 2 peoples lives! It's pathetic! Absolutely pathetic!!! I feel so bad for the victim, the new victims created in this story, Ian and Jules.. and most of all the family and child of Sophia! This is a tragedy from the beginning to end. It's mind blowing that no one ever asked why weren't they pursuing any other leads? SMH..

This doc, as opposed to the Netflix one, actually lets you decide things for yourself. Presents the case and a compelling way while not "telling you" who they think did it. Also, really interesting to see the irregularities in the police work on this case that the Netflix doc just glosses over in favor of pushing a certain narrative. Would definitely recommend this doc!

Watching both the Netflix documentary and this one, it's easy to see which is more focused on fact and letting people, and the story, speak for themselves.

Watching the first five minutes of this alone, you can see how much Jim Sheridan allows his ego and droll opinion to influence his efforts to tell HIS story, not THE story. Oh, and if you didn't know Jim was a 6 time Oscar nominated filmmaker, you will, after being informed very first thing in the film. And in every review. And every summary of the series. And he's almost the first thing on camera, before the story. It's bizzarely strange how it all seems like a self promotional film at times...

His narration and conclusions are mind numbing and baffling to the point of questioning his judgement and mental state. If he truly spent 12 years making this, one might conclude he allowed himself to get too close to the matter (and some individuals) and couldn't see the forest through the (Xmas) trees...