Making a Murderer

This documentary is incredible. It may seem a bit one sided but if you look at the list of people at the end who declined to be interviewed you will see why. You can't begrudge the producers for the other side not cooperating. That being said, the outcome is not very surprising. If you've paid any attention to America's justice system ..... ever ....you would understand that cops and judges are above the law and they can do whatever they want and they have zero accountability. This series just solidified that. Everyone is going to act angry and appalled but then never actually do anything about it. And it will continue and the "good ol' boys" will continue trampling on our basic "freedoms and liberties." Yay USA!! *insert exaggerated eye roll here*

Making a Murderer documents the true story of Steven Avery, sent to prison under questionable circumstances, exonerated on DNA evidence 18 years later, and accused of murder shortly thereafter under equally questionable circumstances.

MaM, ten hours long, is gripping throughout. The story is revealed chronologically, paced so perfectly to leave the viewer gasping at regular intervals, yet never feeling manipulated. But make no mistake: the filmmakers do have an opinion. And by the end of MaM, it is an opinion you will share.

The comparisons to gems like Paradise Lost and The Jinx are inevitable. Up until now, Paradise Lost represented the pinnacle of the genre; MaM tells its story similarly, yet surpasses PL. Where The Jinx, an otherwise excellent documentary, left me with a bad taste, feeling that the truth played second fiddle to its filmmakers' ambitions, MaM never focuses on its creators. The drama is narrated only by the players, the argument made convincingly by historical footage, media and police manipulation made plain not by rhetoric, but by the simple evidence provided by context.

Avery's story, as presented in MaM, is a horrifying story that leaves one infuriated at law enforcement, politicians, and news media. Not generally one for righteous indignation, this was the first series I've ever watched from which I had to take regular breaks out of sheer rage. Avery's story is not a pleasant or uplifting one. But it is as well-told as any I've seen.

It's hard to put into words how moving this documentary series was. The view of this work from 30,000 feet is perhaps that it is a beautiful but tragic depiction of the powerful versus the powerless in the context of the American criminal justice system, and a haunting reminder of what human beings are capable of when we believe the ends justify the means. The view on the ground - from a very intimate front row seat in Steven Avery's hometown of Manitowoc, WI - is that one man likely endured not one, but two of the most egregious injustices imaginable.

One thing that sets this series apart from previous shows in this genre (like NPR's Serial) is that the producers never once make an appearance on camera, nor does the viewer ever hear their voices, at least not in a literal sense. Instead, they rely on interviews, court proceedings, news clips, and telephone and video recordings to tell the story, often against the backdrop of the Avery's family compound. In a simple and clean way, the series is beautifully shot. And the story itself... unbelievable. But even the most reasonable, even skeptical viewer will have to grapple with the theories put forward. Theories that would seem a reach at best if it weren't for the overwhelming hard evidence unfolding, on film, right before your eyes.

I started out by saying that it was hard to describe how moving this documentary was, and I actually found myself transitioning through the same emotional states (albeit to a much lesser degree) that the key figures seemed to experience: from shock and disbelief to anger and ultimately to a sense of despair.

To me, what separates television and film that constitutes true "art" from that which is merely entertaining, is that it reveals something perhaps not so obvious but nonetheless true about human nature or the human experience. This easily surpasses that standard, but what makes it particularly chilling is that this is not a carefully constructed fictional plot designed to pull our heart strings. This actually happened. And it happened to real a person. To a real family.

This documentary is insane! The best true crime documentary out there. It purely sheds light on the TRUTH of this nightmare of a case. Its infuriating to say the least. The American criminal justice system is SO corrupt, twisted, and flat out wrong for convicting Steven and Brenden to life for a crime they did not commit. EVERYONE needs to watch this documentary and be angry at how they were 100% framed.

unbelievable.

This is one of the best documentaries ever created and a must-watch for everybody. The story is so insane and unbelievable that you would think this is a piece of fictional work, but it is not.

The only thing that could have been made a bit better is the episode running-time, sometimes the episodes feel a bit too long.

--9 out of 10 stars--