Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

Well let's get things started a little unconventionally shall we? My first review on this blog is going to be about a documentary that I just watched called Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. It was directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky and released in 1996.

A quick summary of the film. It deals with the real life case of the West Memphis Three, Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, three teenagers who were accused of murdering and mutilating three children in West Memphis, Arkansas. To sum up the basic plot-line of this film, the 3 teenagers were unjustly accused because the police department needed someone to pin the murders on, and were eventually found guilty after many trials. And let me tell you, it is intense.

The film does a fantastic job of getting you informed about the case, the families involved, and presenting it in an easy way to follow, yet it never gets boring. The majority of the film is essentially court cases, and the information that comes to light is extremely interesting. There are some frighting raw emotions displayed by some of these people, and the whole situation is just a big mess. It's not necessarily an easy film to watch, but you will be drawn into this case and want to do more research about it after it's finished.

The West Memphis Three

The filmmakers do have an agenda, but I believe it to be justice. They find these three boys innocent and I think that if there was an obvious reason to believe otherwise, they wouldn't have made this film. However, there is nothing during the film that explicitly states the filmmakers own personal opinions, giving the audience freedom to agree or disagree with how the case turned out. Everyone gets a chance to talk in this film, and everyone has something important to say.

My one issue with the film is that there are two times where pieces of evidence are mentioned and then never brought up again. This would tend to make me believe that we are not being shown everything. I understand that it is difficult to do so when making a 2 and a half hour film, but it was a little sloppy on the director's part.

All in all I would wholly recommend this movie, as it will shake your idea of how the justice system works and question the tactics employed by the law enforcement. The film has had one sequel and another is set for release in January of next year. And if you've heard of this case before, then perhaps you are aware that on August 19, 2011, the West Memphis 3 were finally released after 18 years in prison. The case is still ongoing, as a culprit has yet to be truly identified. If you would like to learn more, this is one of the most debated cases in history and much can be found all over the internet.

Grade: A-