7There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane
An eye-opening documentary that showcases the extent of our inability to cope with tragedy,There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane tells the tragic story of a respectable suburban mom who causes a head-on collision while driving on the wrong side of a New York highway in 2009. As well as Diane herself, the crash kills the four children in her minivan and three adults in the other vehicle.
A toxicology report reveals Diane was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crash. Eyewitnesses attest to seeing her driving erratically for miles, vomiting by the roadside, and then fatally entering the turnpike in the wrong direction.
However, Diane’s family refuse to accept that a beloved wife and mother could put her children in danger by driving while drunk and high. They dispute the findings of the toxicology report and search for a way to clear her name—a search that continues to this day.
6The Cheshire Murders
This acclaimed HBO documentary examines the aftermath of a senseless and horrific outbreak of violence in the quiet suburb of Cheshire, Connecticut. In 2007, two local crooks target a family for theft after tailing them from a neighborhood grocery store. They return to the home in the middle of the night to find less money than expected.
After restraining the family, the intruders wait until the morning and drive the mother to the bank to withdraw $15,000. The family hopes that the money will secure their release. However, what happens next is an escalating whirlwind of torture, sexual assault, and murder—leaving only one survivor.
The heinous crime, a missed police opportunity to rescue the family, and the community’s struggle to find closure are documented with considerable compassion. The story is even more frightening because the disturbing crime could have happened anywhere.
5The Central Park Five
Named by the New York Times as the fifth-best documentary of 2012, The Central Park Five will make you squirm with anger at the terrible injustice perpetrated by the US legal system. In 1989, five African-American teenagers are incorrectly identified as suspects in the rape of a white woman in Central Park, quickly creating a media firestorm.
Amid public pressure to close the case, NYPD detectives use harsh interrogation tactics against frightened minors. Under extreme stress, the kids point fingers at each other and make false statements on camera, sealing their fates in the media and in court—despite DNA and circumstantial evidence that strongly suggests their innocence.
By documenting the heartbreaking situation faced by five young, underprivileged boys who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,The Central Park Five shines a light on racial injustice and the long road to redemption for those falsely imprisoned.
4Shenandoah
In Shenandoah, award-winning photographer David Turnley examines racial tensions in the small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania following the brutal murder of a Mexican man in a deserted playground by a gang of local high school football stars.
What follows is an attempted cover-up by local police in an isolated town that loves football. After this fails, the town finds itself split between those who believe the law must take its course and a vocal group of residents who support the players’ innocence and dislike anyone who believes otherwise.
The film brings to life the tensions in many parts of small-town America, where residents are passionately loyal to old traditions but face difficult economic times—sparking misplaced resentment toward recent immigrant communities.
3The Brandon Teena Story
The inspiration for the acclaimed movie Boys Don’t Cry, The Brandon Teena Story follows the life and death of Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, a biologically female youth who chose to secretly live as a man in Falls City, Nebraska. As he struggles to find his place in society, Brandon commits check fraud and begins a relationship with a local woman.
Brandon becomes popular among his peers, until his sudden outing results in horrific violence and sexual abuse at the hands of his male “friends.” When the crimes are reported to the police, they seem more interested in Brandon’s sexuality and fail to take action to prevent a fatal second attack.
The documentary features jarring interviews with Brandon’s friends, family, girlfriends, and murderers. It will leave you reeling in shock at the cruelty and contempt for a young transgender person facing an identity crisis in a rural town.
2West Of Memphis
Directed by Amy J. Berg and produced by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Damien Echols (one of the accused), West Of Memphis is a terrifying insider look at the abuse of judicial power, the phenomena of false confessions, and the plight of the wrongfully accused.
When three young boys are found hogtied, castrated, and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, law enforcement suspect it’s a Satanist cult ritual and quickly focus the investigation on three local teen pariahs, who are soon convicted of the crimes. It’s later determined that much of the “ritualistic” mutilation may have been caused by wild animals. DNA evidence fails to link any of the convicted to the crime and witnesses are found to have committed perjury.
The documentary takes the viewer on a wild ride through the campaign to exonerate the West Memphis Three, who attract support from celebrities like Johnny Depp. One of the convicted speaks his harrowing truth from death row and the community rallies for a fateful retrial.
1The House Of Suh
This award-winning crime documentary brings about bizarrely compassionate feelings for the murderer, second-generation Korean-American Andrew Suh, a charismatic high school athlete. Suh’s traditional parents migrated to America for a better life and favored him over his sister because of his gender.
The sister in question is the conniving Catherine Suh, a rebellious family outsider who is detested by her father. Despite her unsupportive parents, Catherine grows into a successful business owner and eventually becomes Andrew’s guardian.
When their mother tragically dies from a violent attack at a store they owned, Catherine convinces Andrew of an unproven conspiracy theory surrounding her death. The theory results in a second homicide—orchestrated by Catherine and carried out by Andrew.
The film questions whether Andrew Suh, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, is a victim of dysfunctional familial circumstances or a cold-blooded killer.
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