American Murder: Real Footage That Fells Like a Movie

Amirah Bilqis 17211144010

American Murder: The Family Next Door is an American true crime

documentary film directed by Jenny Popplewell. The film tells the story of the
2018 Watts family murders, which took place in Frederick, Colorado. The story
telling in this documentary is very interesting. Instead of highlighting the law
enforcement side in order to create a heroic atmosphere, this film reconstructs the
murder of Christopher Watts' family dramatically.

In November 2018, Christopher Watts was found guilty of a first-degree

crime with a life sentence. He was proven, legally and convincingly, to kill his
wife in his own residence and to take the lives of his two children and dump them
in a petroleum area not far from his house.

What makes this documentary realistic

Even the drama presented in this film is processed in moderation,

watching this movie is as terrifying as watching a fictional thriller-mystery film.
The audience is invited to look for the perpetrators and motives for the family
murder that appear harmonious but must end in a sad condition.

Instead of using fictional actors as story illustrations, this film makes use
of an archive of raw footage or footage that happens to be so many. Most of it
comes from the content uploaded by Christopher Watts' wife, Shanann, on his
social media accounts, which feature photos and videos of their families.

In videos uploaded to Facebook, Shanann Watts narrates her own life and
her experiences, discussing her battles with Lupus, her relationship with Chris,
and her love for her two daughters. The rhythms of these videos will be familiar
to many people who spend time scrolling through the timelines of friends, family,
and random acquaintances. All the tics are there: the chipper voice, the
acknowledgement of struggle, the stretches of dead time, and the rituals of
domestic life that draw you into a family's world. Hugs at the airport, baking
experiments, and visits from Santa are all staged and performed for the watchful
eye of a camera phone.

In addition, there are also police camera footage and a polygraph

examination interview of Christopher Watts which is so thrilling. The various
recordings were then woven into stories using archives of short message
conversations between Shanann and her friend and husband Christopher Watts.

All these materials can be accessed easily with the consent of the victims'
families who are still alive and the police. The film director and image editing
team worked so hard to collect the footage and turn it into a full story that was
both compelling and heartbreaking.

The murder of this seemingly romantic family member occurred on

August 13, 2018. The story of this murder is one of the most tragic in Colorado
and even in the United States. Because the perpetrator of the murder of Shanann,
the pregnant mother, and her two children who are still toddlers are her own
husband, Christopher Watts.

Trustworthiness
 Because this movie is using actual evidence and footage, we can conclude
that this movie is believable.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Murder:_The_Family_Next_Door

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/american-murder-review-netflix