The idea that murderers walk among us becomes even more haunting when watching this true crime documentary.
On Aug. 13, 2018, a woman and her children disappeared from their home in Frederick, Colo. What follows is an example of how someone can be blindsided by how unsettled your family is.
The opening shots of “American Murder — The Family Next Door” are of a frantic friend worried for Shannan Watts, who is not answering her phone. Once the police find her husband, Chris Watts, they begin to investigate her disappearance. Watching this opening scene, any true crime documentary fan will know almost immediately what happened.
It will later be revealed that the father murdered his wife, Shannan Watts, and their two children, Bella and Cece. The opening shots of the police asking him questions and his calm responses are truly haunting once you realize he killed them.
The documentary is in a style that can only be seen as raw footage of police cameras, media coverage and Shannan Watts’ Facebook videos. She documented most of her life online and the film shows videos of her girls being goofy and her husband Chris playing with them. Through this use of raw footage, the viewer is able to see how our lives are not truly what they seem on social media.
Contrasting with her online presence is her text conversations. It is here that one is able to see how the relationship between Shannan and Chris falls apart. These text messages take the place of the usual gory images that are seen in true crime documentaries.
The beginning of the end begins when Shannan tells Chris that she is pregnant with a third child, and she videotapes his reaction which is full of forced enthusiasm. It is apparent something is off.
A baffled Shannan decides to give him a cooling-off period by visiting both their families in North Carolina. Another catalyst happens when Shannan and Cindy, her mother-in-law, get into a fight over Cindy buying ice cream that Cece cannot eat. Shannan texts Chris angrily telling him to solve the problem, and it creates a rift as Shannan does not talk to her in-laws for the rest of the trip.
After the family returns home, Chris begins acting even stranger, and Shannan believes that he is having an affair. She is correct. The climax happens when Shannan goes away for a work trip, returns home and then disappears.
It is soon revealed that Chris strangled his wife and smothered his kids on Aug. 13. However, what is interesting about “American Murder” is the way they portray his confession. He takes a polygraph test, and the results show that he has been lying. After this discovery, it is fascinating to watch the cops’ interrogation style as they slowly pull him apart emotionally until he confesses to his father that he killed his wife.
The story doesn’t end with Chris’s confession though. There’s the criminal trial to deal with, and a conversation about victim blaming. The documentary does a flawless job of never upholding victim blame and showing what the family had to deal with. One of the most heartbreaking scenes is when the father is talking to the media begging everyone to stop slandering his dead daughter.
“American Murder” artfully shows Shannan’s plight by making her the main character, not her murderer. The film never really digs into Chris’s motives. The only thing it touches on is the fact that he desired to start a new life for himself with his girlfriend.
Throughout the documentary, it also displays how motherhood is portrayed as different from fatherhood. This is seen through the portrayal of Chris being a good dad while, in contrast, hardworking mom Shannan was portrayed as bossy. The narrative of Chris is obviously a lie as Shannan clearly loved her children dearly.
There are a lot of false narratives in “American Murder,” and the documentary portrays them flawlessly. For example, it is shown that Shannan Watts clearly believed that although her relationship with Chris was rocky, they were a family and stronger together. That was her reality. Obviously, it was not correct.
At the end of the documentary, information is given that informs us that this incident is not isolated. In fact, it might not even be an anomaly. “American Murder” gives statistics stating that three women are killed every day by their partner or ex-partner. Parents who murder their children are most often men. The crime is almost always premeditated as well. It is this chilling message that makes us realize the significance of this documentary.
With that terrifying send-off, “American Murder” establishes itself as an informative, artful and interesting film. It is a perfect documentary for anyone who is interested in learning about crime but doesn’t want too much gore. I would highly recommend you add this to your watch list.
The Beat @APU 