West of Memphis (Amy Berg, 2011): USA

Reviewed by Tyler Rowland.  Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival 2012.

The case of the West Memphis Three is very well known and documented example of possible injustice experienced through the legal system in the United States.  This documentary detailing the supposed flaws of legal justice include police misconduct and a breakdown of the judicial system.  This is merely an echoed version of the three part HBO series titled Paradise Lost, which covers a variety of scenarios as new evidence has come forth over the years.

Director Amy Berg examines the reaction of the town of West Memphis, Arkansas following the murders of three young boys and the trial of three young men.  Interviews with local townspeople, jurors and attorneys from the trial, and even the parents of the victims sway the audience, whether right or wrong, in a particular direction.  West of Memphis seems to come at the audience like a montage of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, a documentary series from HBO.  The audience is brought through the history of the case, from the day the boys were murdered, up through the investigation, and subsequent  trial.  We hear testimony from one of the convicted murderers as his  plea for innocence is not heard, even with evidence that could possibly overturn the conviction.  From skeptical citizens of West Memphis and people with close ties to the event to the long arm of the law that adamantly refuses to admit any wrongdoing, corruption, or degree of error we are rocked from one side to the other.  But one has to prevail, at least as the star of the film.  Support comes in for the West Memphis Three by way of social activism led by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and financial support from director Peter Jackson.

For two and a half hours I sat through facts that had already been exposed in the three part HBO film series titled Paradise Lost, the only difference is, well, just read any media update of the case and you will know.  I realize that this is a serious situation and a tragedy such as this could happen anywhere in the world.  You know that there is something flawed when a juror says that “somebody had to be behind bars”.  Sympathies go out to those who have been significantly affected and always will suffer for the way this transpired.  The murder victims’ families and the men who were sent to jail were all dealt a bad hand.  My only question is, what was the director’s motivation and intentions of this film.

The film was simply a review of earlier films dedicated to the events surrounding the murders.  As a member of the audience I must ask, what is Amy Berg getting out of making a film such as this?  This would be a good film for an individual who knew nothing of the case and wanted to get a crash course.  She pretty much threw the Paradise Lost in a blender, then threw in a couple of ingredients of her own.  Although I do not have to agree with this film, citing the lack of reasoning, I must give credit where it is due.  It was a very humbling experience to see the newly returned members of society at SBIFF’s Saturday night screening, West of Memphis.