Making a Murderer (2015)

"Reasonable doubt is for the innocent."

If I've learned anything from 'Making a Murderer' it's don't live in a small town... Especially if you've pissed off said small town's sheriff and police department... Just don't trust the police... Ever.

After serving a sentence for a crime he didn't commit, Steven Avery is released from prison only to find that things may not be as they seem. 

For the past two or so months, all I saw and heard about was Netflix's 'Making a Murderer'. Usually, too much hype will put me off even going near something but I thought I'd give 'Making a Murderer' a shot to see what everyone was raving about. Admittedly, I am so glad I did and I urge everyone else to do the same. 

I don't really review TV series' mainly because it becomes a gargantuan task both watching and writing about seasons worth of material. However, I look at 'Making a Murderer' as more of an extended documentary. It's broken up into ten edible chunks that are easier to watch than a 10 hour epic. It took approximately 10 years to make it so I think that a series was the logical choice. It is a mammoth story that spans over so many years so giving it the room to breathe and elaborate on the details helps construct the clearest picture of what is already a very complex set of events. 

It starts out as any other true crime documentary would, we've got our list of characters, the crime and the evidence. However, what follows truly solidifies the phrase 'Truth is stranger than fiction'. 

This documentary series follows Steven Avery, a man who has spent a large portion of his life in prison for a crime that he didn't commit. We learn the backstory to the case and of his life and then the story kicks off. 

Over the next 10 episodes you'll be taken through Steven Avery's unbelievable story and you'll be left on the edge of your seat at the end of every episode. 

If you like your courtroom dramas then it doesn't get better than this. 

It explores some dark themes such as corruption, greed, prejudice, hysteria and abuse of power. What makes these themes all the more harrowing is that it is a documentary. These events actually happened and the themes that we are dealing with are present in real people. It poses some tough questions while presenting all the evidence in a relatively unbiased manner. You make up your own mind but, with such overwhelming information, you can only really come to one conclusion. 

For me, it reminds me of Arthur Miller's play 'The Crucible'. It is essentially a witch hunt. Everyone gets swept up in a wave of mass hysteria as people are more concerned with hanging a witch than finding the truth. Accusations are thrown left right and centre and a hopeless battle against "the system" ensues. We look at corruption in government, the influence the media has and the blatant abuse of power from people who are respected and who are trusted to uphold honour and justice. 

'Making a Murderer' does a great job of getting a close and personal look into the lives of the people who are affected by the whole situation. More interestingly, the filmmakers seem to hone in on Steven Avery's parents and we look at how they try and cope. Amidst the dramatic and unbelievable murder story, we focus on the personal struggle of two parents and that is where the humanity of the series lies.

The way the documentary is constructed brings such drama and tension to the story itself. With the passing of each episode, the stakes become higher and higher as more and more evidence is uncovered in what is already an unbelievable story. It takes a long and hard look at the American judicial system and really tears it limb from limb. 

It sparks debates and discussions with people that have seen it too as you become defence and prosecution lawyers going through the evidence piece by piece. It gets you talking and thinking about it which is what any great documentary should do. It should ignite your interest and make you challenge the norm. 

Overall, 'Making a Murderer' is a fantastic piece of documentary filmmaking that is unbelievable, frustrating, jaw dropping and mystifying. It will make you scream at the screen and it'll break your heart. 

Unbelievable is a word that I have used a lot in this blog but it is the most apt word to describe 'Making a Murderer'. Never have I used the phrase 'that's just ridiculous!' as much as when I was watching this series.

Now, time to crank up some N.W.A... You know the one.