Thursday, September 12, 2013

WEST OF MEMPHIS: JUSTICE OR NOT?

While most of the time you'll read these reviews and learn of the newest blockbuster to make it's way to DVD I like to occasionally post something a little different. It might be an unknown movie that was just released or even a foreign film you might never have heard of. And on occasion I talk about documentaries.

I'm very wary of documentaries for one reason. Documentaries are never unbiased. Each film made is created by someone with a point of view who then attempts to convince you that what they believe is true. This has increased in recent years and gone so far as to have someone like film maker Michael Moore re-edit conversations, complete false data and more only to win an Academy Award after doing so. Suffice to say when it comes to documentaries I'm a bit of a skeptic.

They can prove interesting though and such is the case with the release of WEST OF MEMPHIS. If you've never heard of the Memphis Three don't fret. The opening sequence of this film will rehash the story from the beginning. It's the true story of three young boys who on May 5th, 1993, were murdered. The story unfolds in interviews with one of the boy's mother as well as others who were there at the time and then combines that with news footage taken at the time.

In search of the killer/killers of these children a few rumors led to the arrest of three teenagers, Jessie Misskelly, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echolls, based solely on the fact that others thought them strange and involved in satanic rituals. Their arrest was coupled with a confession of one of the boys which led in turn to more speculation as well as false evidence eventually ending in their conviction. From all appearances as you watch this, it seems as if they were indeed guilty.

The case of these boys, who became known as the Memphis Three since that's where they came from, garnered the attention of the press and select celebrities who sympathized with their case. This is perhaps the weakest point of this documentary. It would have been enlightening to find out why these celebrities took the case to heart. Was it contact with people fighting for the boys and if so was it new evidence or just sympathy that led them there? This isn't shown but in any case people like Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam joined the bandwagon in trying to have the verdict overturned and the three released.

Those who believed in their innocence went on to make three different documentaries about the case, each titled PARADISE LOST (1, 2 and 3 respectively), that tried to paint a picture of their innocence and shift the blame on to someone else, occasionally ruining the lives of others who were touched by this tragedy. Perhaps the strongest supporter of them all was Lorri Davis who began corresponding with the Echolls, eventually marrying him. Her determination found her contacting lawyers and celebrities in the hopes of making things happen.

As the story unfolds the mishandling of the case is presented from manipulation of the press to twisting the words of mentally challenged Misskelly to make him sound guilty. The state's refusal to grant a new trial or to even hear new evidence as the years went by makes for a compelling case to free the boys. The film offers the evidence as well as a reasonable scenario as to who the real killer was. But was all of this enough to get them released? If you don't know the answer, watch the film.

The story makes for an interesting film that holds your attention from start to finish. Most people will blindly assume this is all that needs to be said. Other will criticize the facts left out about the boys that led to their becoming suspects to begin with. This is where the biased opinions of a film maker become apparent. In omitting those details it makes it appear as though there was something to hide, making them no better than the prosecutors they portray as manipulative. For me I believe you present the entire story and let the viewer decide based on that.

The movie does make a great case for displaying a sloppy judicial system that isn't perfect, a law enforcement organization that wants to close a case rather than find the guilty and shows that when people get involved perhaps the truth will come out. But not all judges are terrible, not all law enforcement people are bad and sometimes even the truth can get twisted. Go in knowing this and you'll find an interesting movie that hopes to make sense of the case of the Memphis Three.

Click here to order.

No comments:

Post a Comment