A mom goes to extraordinary lengths to find her daughter’s murderer in ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’
A tragic murder, a huge art theft and ‘Sasquatch’ are all worth seeing
After “Tiger King” pounced in 2020 and became one of Netflix’s most watched series, a slew of true-crime docuseries followed in its pawprints, hoping to capitalize on that cultural phenomenon.
Some have been sleazy. Some have been addictive. Some have been both. All, for the most part, have been popular.
Now comes three new entries: Netflix’s four-part docuseries “This Is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist” and Netflix’s “Why Did You Kill Me?” (both available now), and Hulu’s three-part “Sasquatch” (available Tuesday).
There seems to be an insatiable appetite for unsolved mystery series, and Netflix is apparently happy to oblige. It’s also serving up an explosive four-part series “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” on May 4.
Here’s a look of three of the new series, as well as the French #MeToo drama “Slalom” and the outstanding African indie feature “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection.”
“WHY DID YOU KILL ME?” >> A 2006 drive-by shooting in Riverside County claimed the life of much-loved Crystal Theobold and raised a ton of questions. Was the 24-year-old yet another casualty of gang warfare? Or was she targeted for death by someone she met online?
Mom Belinda Lane demanded answers, but as Fredrick Munk’s nonjudgmental firecracker reveals, the crime was much more complicated than the headlines suggested. Part of the compelling story is the “Catfish” scenario, in which Lane and her niece created a fake My Space profile to lure out the killer. But Munk uncovers much more, walloping us with a layered look at justice from the viewpoint of a survivor nursing deep and painful regret.
DETAILS >> \*\*\* out of 4; available on Netflix.
“THIS IS A ROBBERY: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ART
HEIST” >> Colin Barnicle’s jaw-dropper is less salacious than “Why Did You
Kill Me?” but equally intriguing. It exudes a Clue like vibe as Barnicle turns viewers into detectives in this look at the brazen 1990 Boston art theft of masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer and others at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, As the title says, it was the largest plundering the art world has ever seen. Although the series didn’t need to be strung out over four episodes (three would have sufficed just dandy), the reenactments and red herrings tossed in get us so invested in the mystery that you won’t care. DETAILS >> \*\*\*; available on Netflix.
“SASQUATCH” >> Hulu delivers the best true-crime series of this bunch, a dark journey into the violence ridden drug world nestled in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle. Executive produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, both instrumental in bringing “The Lady and the Dale” to HBO and “Wild Wild Country” to Netflix, “Sasquatch” unsettles you with the fearsome majesty of the region and the dangers that lurk seemingly behind nearly every redwood. Investigative journalist David Holthouse returns to the scene of a 1993 crime, a triple homicide that some say was the dirty work of “Bigfoot.” Holthouse’s snooping leads to secretive meetups, visits with Sasquatch hunters and skeptics, former cops turned investigators and cannabis farmers from then and now. Director Joshua Rofé allows his story to evolve naturally, leading to a stunner of a denouement.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*/*; available Tuesday on Hulu.
“SLALOM” >> Charlène Favier’s coach-as-predator drama wants to make audiences as uncomfortable and does she ever achieve that goal with her debut feature. That it’s partially based on the filmmaker’s past makes it all that more urgent and disturbing. Noée Abita is a revelation as 15-year-old Olympic-bound skier Lyz, a confident and prickly athlete without the strong parental guidance she needs. She becomes a vulnerable target for exploitation and manipulation by her handsome, driven coach Fred (Jérémie Renier) in France. As Lyz dominates competitions, Fred becomes more inappropriate in their interactions. The camera doesn’t shy away from what’s going on but “Slalom” is never gratuitous as it puts us into the mindset of the survivor. It’s tough stuff, but worth it. The skiing sequences are gripping as well.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*; available as part of the Virtual Cinema series at Smith Rafael Film Center, rafaelfilm. cafilm.org, and the Roxie Theater, www.roxie.com.
“THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION” >> Grief cloaks the weathered face of 80-year-old widow Mantoa (the late Mary Twala), an African villager mourning the loss of a husband, a son and and the sacred land she and her family have called home for generations to the South African mines. It’s in the crosshairs now to build a dam. Mantoa might not speak a word in Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s haunting masterpiece in the first 30 minutes, but her face is a road map of someone depleted by heavy losses. Mosese’s film celebrates the riches of African storytelling and traditions, but also shakes a fist at the destruction of a culture in the name of “progress.” It’s a gorgeous and quiet cry of protest for ensuing generations to heed before it’s too late.
DETAILS >> \*\*\*\* ; available as part of the Virtual Cinema series at the Roxie Theater, www.roxie.com, and Smith Rafael Film Center, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org.