A Deadly American Marriage

The fact they allowed 2 murderers and a lawyer lie over and over again is disgraceful. It s very obvious she manipulated thise kids. Even in the videos of her with the kids she bullies him about crying.

The american justice system is ridiculous if it thinks those 2 are innocent. This film is heartbreaking and shows what damage can be done by a poor system.

The heartbreaking of the kids especially the daughter is overwhelming. To tell a child that both her parents are dead because of her is just pure cruelty. The film shows this so well and it's impossible to watch this and not know that a serious injustice has been carried out.

It's great that the children even though it took some time after all those years for them to come forward until what really happened. And that the father was not physically abusive to the mother at all. She seems to have no answer to any of those comments the kids had brought to light. She still speaks like her and her father who deserves to be where he's at too he should have actually gotten more and her also it was a total Massacre. See and that old scallywag of a father ambushed him and didn't allow any exit for him while they were beating him with a baseball bat and a large brick. But yet they try and justify that as they were in fear. It just goes to show you how some narcissistic ignorant people think that what they can lie about that they believe a jury is too stupid to see through it. To my opinion the father and the daughter should have been in prison forever. They might come up as upstanding citizens but let's get this straight they're dirty scumbag felons. Only in my heart do I wish that they could read this. And know that most Americans virtually all that had seen this story do not believe their side. They just need to stay in jail and think about every day how they beat that man to death. Sad really sad human beings almost makes you wish you weren't human when you have trash like that still existing.

That Molly, Tom and their horrible excuse for an attorney were allowed to point blank LIE regarding Mags is so appalling and quite honestly, grotesque.

The prosecution for this debacle couldn't have been more incompetent- they didn't even bother to call Mags' family in Ireland to testify! After presenting such an horrific case the first time, he caved completely and gave these two monsters an ridiculous plea deal for next to no time after what can only be described as the most grisly, gruesome annihilation of an human being most have witnessed.

And then you have these two adorable children, through no fault of their own, are now smack in the middle of a child's worst nightmare- no parents remaining, having experienced and witnessed this hideous tragedy, and then having to struggle through being forced to endure living with people to whom they had no blood relation and all this after their father had so thoughtfully designated appropriate caregivers for them in the chance something awful befell him. Little could he have imagined the worst imaginable would pale in comparison to the actuality.

There's far too much air given to these monsters, and not nearly as much time spent delving into what horrible creatures this entire family is, and how manipulated the victim was and how poorly Molly treated him and his children.

In A Deadly American Marriage, the crime is the spark, but the real spectacle is Molly. A woman so determined to become a mother that she adopted not just children, but also narrative - and manipulation - as extensions of motherhood. The production follows the traditional true crime formula: reenactments with dramatic music, tearful witnesses, furrowed-brow prosecutors, and that kind of editing that feels a little too edited. But while the format may be familiar, the content gains weight from something rarer: the defendants are present. Flesh, bone, and rehearsed answers. And that alone made me watch with a different level of attention.

And what a character Molly is. A sort of Amy Dunne without the literary gloss, but with a camera rolling and a microphone at the ready. If in Gone Girl fiction was the weapon, here it's home videos and secretly recorded audio - where the truth isn't revealed, it's assembled. Molly records everything. Shapes everything. And in the end, her version survives not because it's convincing, but because it's the only one with a soundtrack. It's unsettling to realize how much she controlled the narrative with meticulous calm. The documentary doesn't truly confront her - and perhaps that's both its flaw and its greatest strength. Because the discomfort comes precisely from what isn't said to her.

The direction tries to be impartial, but it's not blind. The camera knows where to focus - and the enigma lives in her eyes. There's an inevitable fascination with a woman who talks about miscarriage with the same coldness with which she denies ruining someone's life. There's no doubt the marriage was tense. But self-defense bleeds too much to support any thesis. The crime scene speaks, and it speaks loudly. She, however, walks away almost clean, accompanied by her father - a former FBI agent and both literal and emotional accomplice. A man so ready to protect her he seems more like a reputation bodyguard than a parent. Their relationship is unsettling, shrouded in a kind of protection that feels more like narrative armor.

But what truly breaks the heart are the children - orphaned of a father, kidnapped from stability, and used as pawns on an emotional chessboard. Deceived kids, forced to spin 360° on a carousel of versions and accusations. And even with so many testimonies, what weighs most is what was never said to them. It's hard not to feel pity. It's hard not to feel outraged. The narrative focuses on them at moments, but always circles back to the involuntary protagonist who never relinquishes the spotlight. They are the real victims. And in this legal drama, the courtroom is just the backdrop for a custody battle - not only for the children, but for the truth itself.

In the end, it's not so much about the crime, but about who gets the privilege of telling the story. And Molly, with all the spotlights and improvised scripts, didn't just tell it - she directed it. A deadly American marriage - or perhaps, a toxic motherhood disguised as eternal love.

Solid documentary but it needs subtitles. Im not a person who ever has subtitles on but the interviews in the police station were pretty much impossible to understand with them on due to the echo in the room. I don't know why this wasn't picked up when editing and automatically put on just the interview room scenes. Netflix are usually pretty good at doing this when things are difficult to hear.

Other than that is was good, interesting story and nice to get a new documentary on Netflix. More please! Idaho 5, toy box killer, lively vs Baldoni, interviews in prison with newer well known killers like Chris watts etc..