The 1994 conviction of three disaffected teenagers in West Memphis, Arkansas, for killing a trio of eight-year-old boys raised strong public emotions at the trial, and a lengthy campaign afterwards claimed that hysteria over ‘satanic rituals’, rather than genuine evidence, put the accused behind bars. Documentary-makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky devoted their acclaimed Paradise Lost trilogy to exposing what many believed a major miscarriage of justice, inspiring an internet campaign supported by numerous celebrities including director Peter Jackson. But Amy Berg’s film makes a compelling case for itself as a patient, methodical summation of the complex issues involved.
The extensive interview testimony and archive footage build up a troubling fresco of police incompetence, enterprising advocacy for the prisoners and a blinkered judicial system puzzlingly slow to confront escalating doubts. Berg’s unfettered access creates a riveting sense of new evidence being uncovered before our eyes. There’s justifiable outrage here, but it’s lucid and focused, and if the celeb cameos and emphasis on crowd-funding seem over-insistent at times, it’s a viable point to make – public contributions really did keep the fight for justice alive.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out London