An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story

An ordinary Texas family man in 1986, married with a young son and employed at a local supermarket, becomes the one and only suspect in his wife's death after she is found bludgeoned to death in their home (the prosecutors case rested almost solely on a half-joking note the accused wrote to his spouse the night before she was murdered, complaining of a lack of sex in their marriage). Convicted by a jury either misinformed or lacking general knowledge of "beyond a reasonable doubt", Michael Morton faced an emotionally-wrenching journey for the truth which stretched over a 25-year period, with saints and sinners lining his path. Thoroughly absorbing, fascinating and, ultimately, life-affirming documentary about faith in the system, even when that system appears to have let you down. Morton has not let his grueling years spent in prison break his spirit; just the opposite, he's a fighter who found his spirit, his reason for being, while waiting for vindication behind bars. A handsome guy, one who amusingly bears a slight resemblance to George W. Bush, Morton has a story that is scarily universal: anyone among us could be Michael Morton. It's our fight for the truth that gives us our integrity, which leads to wisdom and understanding--and bliss!--upon exoneration. *** from ****

I have just finished watching this documentary and have been so touched by the heart of this man that I nearly tremble. How honest his son when he speaks of the conflicting emotions of his love of his mother and the very reason he has been unable to love his father when convinced he was the murderer of his mother.

Justice was not done but more than that, it was deliberately not done. Evidence withheld, this man was robbed of a quarter of a century of his life and yet has no anger...only absolute faith in a God he discovered while incarcerated. I believe he has found happiness again and hope it lasts his remaining lifetime. A powerful documentary. Thank God for the contributions of the Innocence Project and other attorneys involved; thank God for the steadfast faith in his innocence by his attorney who refused to give up.

An Unreal Dream is a documentary that will probably make you mad—and it should. After all, in a free society, huge miscarriages of justice shouldn't happen…right?! Well, that should be the case but it certainly wasn't with Michael Morton. Back in the 1980s, Morton's wife was savagely murdered as she was stabbed 19 times. There was little in the way of real evidence to show who the killer was at the time and in this case the prosecution didn't look very far or very hard. After all, often the husbands are the assailants and in Morton's case, it was just assumed he was guilty. On top of that, some of the jurors they interviewed were incredibly stupid and clearly did not follow the guidelines set for them. Some said that Morton was convicted because he 'didn't PROVE he didn't do it'! What about the concept of guilty until proved innocent?! Others said that although the evidence was scant, he looked and acted like he killed her. How was this? Well, apparently, Michael didn't look sad enough during the trial—a sure indication of his guilt!! However, it does get worse…much worse. After spending about 25 years in prison, his defense team was able to learn the truth behind the prosecution—and the truth sure wasn't pretty! What was the truth? Well, I won't say as it would spoil the film but suffice to say that the prosecutor ended up losing his license, being removed from the bench (he had become a judge in the meantime) and was given prison time himself!! So what is the rest of this story? See this captivating film yourself to find out what exactly happened.

Why did I like this film so much? Well, part of it was learning about the system's rush to judgment but most of it was because the filmmakers did such a thorough and effective job in presenting the story. They were able to tell Morton's story but not in a superficial way. You learn about him as a man—his religious conversion in prison, his ruined relationship with his son as well as how he coped with all those years in a hellish prison. It makes for incredibly compelling viewing. What also made this worth seeing is that like the best documentaries, this one struck an emotional chord. You cannot watch this film without getting mad or feeling sorry for the guy…or both! And, fortunately, it does have a happy ending or sorts—though nothing can give the man back 25 years of his life. Well worth your time and if you do see it, don't be surprised when you see Morton for the first time—he looks a LOT like George W. Bush with a little bit of James Caan thrown in to boot. I am not kidding about this!

Found dead in her bed in 1986, Christine Morton's death left Williamson County, Texas in shambles and caused her husband Micheal Morton to be found guilty of murder and facing a life sentence in prison. In November of 2011, with the case now twenty fife years old, we learned of the startling new evidence of another man's DNA linked to Christine's murder. "An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story" is the documentary story from CNN Films about an innocent man convicted of murder and the family he lost because of it.

Even though we don't want to admit it, we seen have this story before. We all know of people who have gone to jail because of a crime they did not commit. This murder mystery is nothing new and could have been just another 48 Hours Mystery episode.

That said, five things still make this one different.

1) Michael Morton is an honest, down-to earth southern guy who was really in a bad spot. He was a very likable guy which adds a good perspective to the story.

2) There is a hidden secondary plot that focuses on prison life including sleeping conditions, food, the plantations and the scary images of rape.

3) As we should, we learn more and more about the in's and out's of the criminal justice system and again this is just one of many examples where the verdict of the criminal justice system isn't always right.

4) From attorney John Raley and the many others, there are many great interviews in this film which add to the depth of the story.

5) The ending provides some interesting closure going every which way we want it to go and in the end provides the justice that is needed.

In sum, An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story is a documentary that needed to be told and make it's point. This documentary will likely be forgotten down the road but it is still a very fine work from CNN films and famed director Al Reinert.

Unreal Dreams was extremely well-received in its World Premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. Premiering the film at SXSW was particularly appropriate since the events unfolded just north of Austin in Williamson County. The local showings were also enhanced by the presence of Michael Morton himself. His story unfolds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale of the innocent man accused of a crime he didn't commit. I kept wondering if Morton had seen the film Shawshank Redemption since he seemed to be human incarnation of the fictional Andy Dufresne. The miscarriage of justice carried out by the police and prosecutors in Williamson County is simply appalling. While his story is already well- known, this account told in the Morton own voice (along with the voices of many of those who worked for years to free him) provides a very personal account of what Morton endured. The film is remarkably professional, well-edited, and absolutely gripping – even though almost everybody in room already knew what happened.

This film has a relatively happy ending in that justice is ultimately done; in contrast to the even more tragic film, Incendiary: The Willingham Case (which premiered at SXSW in 2011) and tells the story of how Texas actually executed an innocent man under very similar circumstances. In both cases, junk science and dreadful work by police and prosecutors lead to a false conviction. Perhaps, the most remarkable element about the film is Morton's own lack of anger and vengefulness – even towards those who railroaded him. He seems to be a man at peace which seems almost unimaginable since anger and bitterness seem like entirely appropriate reactions. I can't recommend this film more and believe that it will be particularly useful for a variety of educational uses ranging from High Schools to Law Schools. This is an important story and I am really pleased that this film has honored its subject by telling his story in such a respectful and fair manner.