Amanda and I started to discuss documentaries that we watched in 2020. What resulted was a list of documentaries that was lengthy enough to earn it’s own separate list for 2020. Here are the true crime stories that kept us watching:
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
HBO Max turned the investigation behind Michelle McNamara’s best-selling investigation of the Golden State Killer (aka EarOns). This one can be hard to watch, especially when a now adult who was a teenager at the time of her attack discusses her the details. It’s bittersweet to get to hear Michelle one more time in recordings and videos, but also rewarding now that the Golden State killer is behind bars.
Crazy, Not Insane
This documentary follows psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a woman who has dedicated her entire career to studying why people kill. The film looks at her involvement in low and high profile cases, including Arthur Shawcross and Ted Bundy. The focus of this documentary is on the idea that murderers are made, not just born that way. The documentary is also narrated by actress Laura Dern.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
This Netflix documentary follows the murder of Shanann Watts and her two children. The case happened in November 2018 and it shocked the world when it was later discovered that her husband, Christopher Watts was the murderer. American Murder goes through the murder, the background, and confirms our uh-oh feeling of why spouses are usually the first suspects.
Murder on Middle Beach
Madison Hamburg’s mother was murdered in 2010, and he’s been looking for answers ever since. This short series from HBO Max follows Madison’s personal investigation and involves interviews with his family, his father’s avoidance of the topic, and what exactly the police have been doing about it for about 10 years. This one is emotional and hard as we see Madison find out information about a pyramid scheme, and the reasons someone may have wanted his mother dead.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Come on. This was the major story of the year, and as we’ve gone through 2020 so many more people have been arrested in regards to this case or been brought to justice. As Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin were pretty much the most popular costumes for Halloween this year, I’m going to guess I don’t need to explain to much about this Netflix Show.
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
If you’re interested to find out more about the tactics and manipulation that human traffickers use to convince young women and men into sexual abuse, this is a fascinating look. Be aware that the stories of what happened to these girls at the hands of Epstein are horrifying. Others attached to the case are still being prosecuted, and I’m happy to report that there are victories on this case even recently for the victims. To find out more about human trafficking and how to protect yourself and your family, I recommend participating in webinars from groups like RansomedLifeTexas.org, theexodusroad.com, or SharedHopeInternational.
The Family I Had
Tragedy struck a mother in Abilene, Texas when her young son stabbed and killed his younger sister. The documentary explores the experiences of young offenders locked in prison, as well as the mother’s struggle to come to terms with her son. The Family I Had is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Don’t F*ck With Cats
My #1 recommendation is DO NOT WATCH THIS if you are sensitive to violence against animals. I will admit within the first 7 minutes, I’d already had to turn away from the screen and fast forward. The internet can be amazing, but it can be dark as heck and this documentary follows the serious insanity that followed after a video of a man torturing cats was posted to the internet. The #1 rule on the internet is that you do not hurt cats. The series looks at the story of an online forum of people breaking down every image in the video to take the person doing this down. What follows is a complex story of the armchair sleuths and law enforcement that took down a killer. The story is weirder than you could ever imagine. Oh, and a great lesson about feeding a killer’s ego… This documentary is currently streaming on Netflix.
Time
This documentary follows Sibil Fox Richardson as she fights to have her husband released from his 60+ year sentence for a robbery. The documentary includes many personal videos that Sibil made for her husband as well. Time premiered at the 2020 Sundance film festival. The film makes a great case for the review of sentencing laws and the disproportionate levels of incarceration of the poor and people of color. I was not expecting to be as enthralled with this documentary as I was, but Time is a must watch.
Honorable Mentions:
Listen, Investigation Discovery (ID) has a lot to watch if you’re looking for something short and sweet. These include Killer Kids, Killer Clergy and Deadly Women. You also can’t go wrong with classics like Forensic Files.
My recommendation if you’re watching these, definitely put on something happy afterwards because these can be a lot to handle.
