True Crime Documentaries Worth Streaming
Murder, identity theft, and... wine fraud? We cover it all in this week's newsletter.
After podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder and shows like The Jinx and Making a Murderer generated the true crime boom of the 2010s, devotees of the genre have been treated to a deluge of content over the last several years. Netflix has created their own cottage industry out of the true crime documentary series, while HBO has continued to churn out high quality docs as well.
Basically, there’s a lot to catch up with in this golden era for true crime. This week we go beyond the standouts mentioned above with a couple documentaries and TV docuseries that you might not have seen. Here’s a few of our favorite true crime docs streaming now.
Billy recommends…
Sour Grapes (streaming on Netflix)
Sour Grapes is the perfect blend of great true crime and easy viewing that has escaped this genre over the years. When I think of the true crime genre I think of dark subject matter that is going to ruin me for the next few days. Sour Grapes has that mystery driving the story forward, but set in the middle of a group of people who were conned by one of their passions, wine. Creating a story that is a great ride, but won’t make you feel gross after.
In Sour Grapes we meet a young late 20s, mysterious player in the wine buying game. He was buying lots of rare wine, building up an impressive cellar, and then flipping the most rare wine for an insane profit. His name is Rudy Kurniwan. His impeccable palate gave him immediate credibility, so no one questioned where he came from or how he could afford creating the most impressive wine cellar in the world.
When these elitists wanted the most rare and popular wine they went to Rudy to get the “real stuff” because a man with such taste can be trusted. Unbeknownst to them, Rudy was using his talent to create exact matching labels and the exact taste of these expensive wines by blending cheap wines together in his house. Then selling those fake wines for millions of dollars to these rich people who want to throw their money around. Making them question all 30,000+ bottles of wine that they own.
Sour Grapes is a welcome palate cleanser in a genre that thrives on the most messed up. We have a mysterious con man working one over on the most elite people around the world. Sour Grapes creates the element of mystery that we all crave while setting it in this weird Talented Mr. Ripley world. Pour your most expensive or cheapest bottle of wine and watch one of the more entertaining true crime documentaries I have ever seen.
Abducted in Plain Sight (streaming on Netflix)
*Re-post from an August 2019 newsletter
Not much bothers me in narrative film. Blood, cursing, and sex go by unnoticed. However, as soon as I throw on a documentary the reality of these stories is almost too much. Despite that I try to never turn off a film, documentary or not. It is out of respect for the effort that went into making the film. I made it through Abducted in Plain Sight, but I didn’t want to.
Don’t get me wrong, this documentary is incredibly well-made. The subject matter is unbelievably terrifying, though. This film chronicles the Broberg family whose daughter is abducted twice. By the same man. A man who was a mentor, friend, and lover to the Broberg family.
True crime documentaries might be my least favorite genre of film, but this carefully directed film enthralled me from beginning to end because it doesn’t only focus on the crime. It does a beautiful job showing the power of deception and the naivety of everyone involved. By the end you will be mad at everyone they interview. While their actions seem complicit, you begin to understand why it happened. Any true crime fan will enjoy this one.
Drew recommends…
The Keepers (streaming on Netflix)
I wouldn’t recommend binging The Keepers, the 2017 Netflix docuseries about the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik. Over its seven episodes, you will likely be distressed, flummoxed, and/or infuriated. However, The Keepers is a powerful and eye-opening look at a dark injustice and the institutions that failed these women.
Back in 1969, a nun at a Catholic all-girls school in Baltimore disappeared. Her body was found months later, much to the shock of the community. The documentary toggles between the horrific events of 1969 and the present day, where former students at the school are investigating Cathy’s mysterious death. It’s soon uncovered that many former students at the school later alleged that Joseph Maskell, a priest at the school, was sexually abusing them. The Keepers examines the allegations and the possibility that Cathy was killed because of her knowledge of this abuse as part of a cover-up.
It’s heavy, harrowing stuff. The descriptions of Maskell’s abuse and alleged behavior are not easy to watch, but looking directly into the face of evil rarely is. What is heartening is how the former students and victims band together several decades later to attempt to uncover the truth. The Keepers successfully toggles between time periods, while delivering shocking and maddening developments with level-headed respect. This docuseries doesn’t give out any easy answers or empty platitudes, but it is a vital and necessary true story.
The Imposter (streaming on Amazon Prime)
In 1994 a 13-year-old boy named Nicholas Barclay went missing in San Antonio, Texas after playing basketball with friends. Three years later, he somehow turns up in Spain and is flown back to his family in Texas. But something’s not right. Nicholas had blue eyes and blonde hair, this teenager has brown eyes and dark hair. Also, this Nicholas speaks with a French accent. What in the world is going on here?
The Imposter tells this unbelievable true story in memorably gripping fashion. It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that this wasn’t actually Nicholas Barclay. It turns out a young con man named Frederic Bourdin assumed the boy’s identity, claiming to have been abducted into a child prostitution ring that changed his eye color and took him to Europe. The Barclay family buys this story and welcomes “Nicholas” back into their family. How could they be so duped? I’ll let you watch this doc to see how things get crazier from there.
This is one of the most riveting documentaries I’ve seen, thanks to the preposterous true story and the style on display. The Imposter plays like a con man thriller, because the reenactments are so polished and well-done, but also because of the interviews with the Barclay family and Frederic himself. As Frederic explains his actions, the audience gets a fascinating glimpse into the skilled and unreliable mind of a con man.
Links
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