As a fellow college student, I understand the importance of Netflix. Netflix helps us procrastinate when we really do not want to do our homework and it helps us relax after a long week of classes.
Netflix understands our love of avoiding our work and they have begun to produce their own shows, “Netflix Originals,” to try to better tailor to what we, the procrastinators, want to see. Netflix Originals brought us conclusions to some of our favorite shows through entirely new series. Some popular Netflix originals include, Stranger Things, Fuller House, House of Cards, Daredevil, and of course, Orange is the New Black.
I, however, am here to educate you about another Netflix Original that is not as well known, but is just as good. One that is less of a show and more of a documentary, but that does not make it any less entertaining.
The Netflix Original, Making A Murderer, follows the case of a man, Steven Avery, who is being accused of murdering a woman named Theresa Halback. Though this Netflix original is a documentary, it is not just a movie that runs for a couple hours, it actually includes ten episodes of about an hour in length each, which is perfect for watching in between classes, or for just taking a break from studying.
In Making A Murderer, you not only get to see the injustices present in the criminal justice system, but you also get a better understanding of the system as a whole. While there are lots of injustices present against Avery, you get to watch his defense lawyers trying as hard as they can to prove this man’s innocence. It is also very interesting to see how a simple accusation can completely alter how someone is seen by their family, friends, and their community.
As the case is dragged on, more and more people began to question Avery’s innocence, purely because the police were so intent on convicting him. Even though the show is only ten episodes long, every episode is jam packed with drama and suspense that will keep you watching all the way through.
Reviews of this show are mostly positive; however, some critics believe that the documentary was very one sided and aimed to show Avery as an innocent who was targeted by the police. However, in the documentary, the police do not even consider that anyone else could have committed this murder which just shows the vendetta they clearly had against Avery.
Some viewers believe that Avery did in fact commit this crime, while other viewers fully believe that the police fabricated the entire accusation and investigation. There are even some people who believe that the police were the ones to commit this murder. There are some critics who believe that the documentary makers did not do a good job at showing both sides of the story; however, I feel as though they showed enough on both sides to paint a picture of what was really happening.
This documentary also does not force you to believe either side, you are simply shown the evidence and viewers come up with their own deductions from there. This is why viewers have such differing opinions.
Even though this documentary mainly involves CJ and forensics, you do not need to be one of those majors to enjoy it. This documentary also brings in communications majors who can think more about how and why the documentary was produced and about how and why they produced it the way they did. History majors can look into this as well based on the fact that the documentary was filmed over the span of ten years and how the difference in time can change what people believe. This documentary is also good for psychology majors because they can look into how the case slowly affected Avery’s mental stability as well as the mental state of his friends and family. Finally, psychology majors can also look into why the police were so intent on convicting this specific man. This is not even the full extent of majors who could enjoy this documentary, anyone could enjoy this documentary purely through the story it tells.
All in all, I strongly recommend anyone who has not seen this documentary yet to add it to their list on Netflix and watch it the next time they need some procrasination.
