There’s something fascinating and infuriating about a well-made true crime documentary. As filmmakers pick apart the gruesome details in search of the truth, viewers attempt to make sense of actions and situations that simply don’t add up.
We’ll never really understand why people commit these heinous acts, but the very act of trying to comprehend shows a desire to fully understand humanity, warts and all.
If you’re a true crime fan in search of your next favorite film, check out the ten offerings below, which are all currently streaming on HBO Max. There’s something for everyone!
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Emmy Award-winning director Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst) guides the viewer through the twisted true crime story of the Friedman family of Great Neck, New York in the documentary film Capturing the Friedmans.
In the 1980s, Arnold Friedman and his son Jesse Friedman were arrested for child molestation. Arnold had been teaching young boys computer lessons in his home, providing an ideal opportunity for the predators. Police investigated for years due to a lack of physical evidence, but they were eventually able to get a conviction for father and son.
That’s when the story gets even more twisted. Ultimately, viewers are left uncertain about what actually occurred and what was all a ploy for leniency in the court system.
There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (2011)
On July 26, 2009, 36-year-old suburban mom Diane Schuler packed up her minivan with two of her kids and three of her brother’s, then left a campground in the Catskill Mountains to drive home to Long Island. Multiple people interacted with her that morning and none sensed anything wrong, yet hours later she drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and caused the worst fatal motor vehicle accident in Westchester County since 1934. Eight people, including Diane, lost their lives in the wreck. It was later determined that Diane had high levels of alcohol and THC in her system at the time of the accident.
Liz Garbus examines all of the footage of Diane from that day along with eyewitness testimonies to piece together the truth of the story, including the battle between Diane’s husband, Daniel Schuler, over her toxicology results.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019)
The Inventor zeroes in on a company called Theranos and its enigmatic leader, Elizabeth Holmes. Holmes was just 19 years old when she started the company in 2003, and she managed to raise so much money from investors and venture capitalists that Theranos was valued at $10 billion just a decade later.
Theranos claimed to be able to achieve accurate medical tests from tiny amounts of blood that could be collected in pharmacy drop boxes nationwide. Holmes’s grasp of marketing and public relations helped the company soar, but there was only one problem: None of their claims were true!
I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter (2019)
Teenage love goes tragically awry in this chilling examination of the Massachusetts “texting suicide case.”
In 2014, eighteen-year-old Conrad Roy died by suicide. When authorities went through his cell phone they found thousands of messages between Conrad, who was experiencing mental health issues, and his girlfriend Michelle Carter. The messages told a devastating tale: Michelle appeared to have cajoled, encouraged, and even begged Conrad to end his life. Director/producer Erin Lee Carr dives deeply into the teens’ relationship, Michelle’s ensuing prosecution and eventual conviction, and other details in an attempt to uncover exactly what happened … and why.
Leaving Neverland (2019)
Leaving Neverland is not an easy movie to watch, but it’s an important exploration of the way fame obscures common sense and enables alleged heinous acts to go on for far too long.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck were both prepubescent when the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, took them under his wing. Both now claim that the singer was grooming them for sexual acts, and that their families went along with the abuse because they trusted Jackson and received financial gifts in return. Director and producer Dan Reed received significant blowback from the public about the allegations in Leaving Neverland, particularly since Jackson died in 2009 and was not alive to defend himself against these allegations.
Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
There have been many documentaries and films made about the disturbing case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, but this film directed by Erin Lee Carr provides the most comprehensive look inside her experiences.
Gypsy Rose was raised by her deeply disturbed mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, a woman who convinced the world that her daughter was gravely ill for attention and financial gain. She grew up using a wheelchair and a feeding tube, but as she got older she started to realize she wasn’t actually sick at all. When she met a boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, the two plotted to take Dee Dee out of the picture for good. It wasn’t until the police got involved that the truth about Dee Dee and her daughter’s toxic bond came to light.
Chowchilla (2023)
Chowchilla tells the story of the kidnapping of a school bus full of children in Chowchilla, California in July 1976. Twenty-six kids ranging from ages 5 to 14 and their bus driver were abducted in broad daylight, then buried in an underground bunker for days. Filmmakers interviewed some of the now-adult victims, and their tale of heroism arising from terror and the post-traumatic stress they suffer to this day is downright haunting. We won’t spoil the ending for you, but let’s just say that California ended up rewriting some of its laws around bodily injury and psychological trauma based on this case.
Beware the Slenderman (2016)
Savvy web denizens are well familiar with the Slender Man, a fictional character that came from a creepypasta that’s nearly as old as the internet itself. Everybody knows he’s not real … except for a couple of 12-year-olds in Waukesha, Wisconsin, apparently.
In May 2014, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser lured their friend Payton “Bella” Leutner into the woods and stabbed her 19 times. Incredibly, Bella managed to crawl to a nearby road and flag down help. She lived, and both of her would-be murderers were captured and charged with attempted murder. Irene Taylor Brodsky gained access to all three girls’ families for her documentary, which offers a chilling look into the disturbed minds of the children at the heart of the story.
The Janes (2022)
Here’s a rare documentary about heroes who were forced to become “criminals” by breaking an unjust law to overcome oppression. Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin directed this film about The Jane Collective, also known as the Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation. “Jane” was a women-led underground service in Chicago that operated from 1969 to 1973, when abortion was illegal across most of the United States. In that time, these brave rebels performed about 11,000 abortions before Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in 1973.
At a time in our history when abortion access is once again threatened, this documentary is more poignant (and important) than ever.
The Crime of the Century (2021)
Alex Gibney wrote and directed this enlightening look at how the opioid epidemic got started in the United States. The film is in two parts: part one focuses on the rise of OxyContin thanks to the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, whose shady backdoor deals with the FDA and government officials cleared the drug for widespread use. Part two describes the 1-2 punch of Oxy and Fentanyl, a dangerous drug they marketed for “breakthrough pain.” As opioid deaths continue to reach astounding new heights, big pharma, insurance companies, and the government seem complicit. Gibney’s doc aims to find out why.
These documentaries are sure to fire you up, and they’re all available to stream right now on HBO Max!
(featured image: Max)
Published: Mar 29, 2024 11:53 am