#americanmurder

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Some movies are great because of their performances, special effects, emotional impact, or message. American Murder: The Family Next Door is great because of the presentation. The murder at its center is not all that special. You can easily deduce what happened once presented with all the clues. It would've been little more than an episode of a generic true-crime show if it weren't for the way it's assembled.

On August 13, 2018, Shanann Watts arrived home after getting a ride from her friend Nicole Atkinson. Later that day, Atkinson, became concerned when Shanann failed to answer her calls. The mother and her two children Bella and Cathryn had disappeared. Police's suspicions immediately fell upon her husband, Chris.

This documentary by Jenny Popplewell - edited by Simon Barker - shapes this story using law enforcement footage, text messages, voice recordings, and home videos. It uses very little - if any - original footage. There are no interviews or talking heads. With the videos Shanann shot and her text messages, there was enough material for her to narrate her own story. Instead of hearing others tell us about what she was like until the six-month trip leading to the night when she arrived home, we see them for ourselves. By the end, you feel like you've met her.

The story is told non-linearly. It’s a way to get us hooked and then flesh out the mystery. In any other documentary, this technique would “spoil” the surprise but here, what the police will discover is obvious - it's in the title. Also because even Herlock Sholmes could tell what happened after five minutes of looking at the evidence. It’s so absurdly easy to decipher this would almost be a comedy if it wasn’t a real-life crime. The reality of it means it breaks your heart and makes you so mad you want to rally a mob and burn something down - a sentiment that's briefly (too briefly) discussed. In a post-investigation segment, the families discuss how people around the world scrutinized the videos, text messages, and reports we’ve just witnessed and drew the wrong conclusions from them. It stops you dead in your tracks and as you're getting ready to explore this thought, the film moves on. In every other way, “American Murder” feels like lightning was (tragically) captured in a bottle. This is the kind of story documentarians dream of, something like Senna or Amy where we had the right amount of footage combined with a story small enough that not everyone knows the facts but explosive enough to set the world aflame.

I’m not sure how much re-watch value American Murder: The Family Next Door holds. Once the mystery's been solved, what's there to look forward to? Then again, this particular case might not suffer so much from its audience knowing the end. You know what happened. The reason to watch is for the editing and the way its assembled, rather than the content. (October 18, 2020)

When a woman and her two young daughters go missing, a small town in Colorado are left in shock after her whereabouts are finally uncovered.

On August 13th 2018, a woman called the Watts residence in Colorado, to check up on her friend Shannan Watts after dropping her off in the early hours of the morning. Nickolete Atkison called Shannan several times to check up on her after the two went away on a business trip for the weekend in Arizona. After discovering Shannan didn’t attend her doctor’s appointment that morning, she grew increasingly worried and ended up getting in contact with the police who arrived swiftly at Shannan’s home to find her and her two daughters, Celeste and Bella missing. As you can imagine, this was a case that certainly concerned many in the neighbouring areas of Frederick, Colorado. Through body cam footage, Facebook posts from Shannan and text messages, the fears of Shannan’s family and friends slowly began to prove themselves right.

It’s clear from the get go, that this family was a seemingly loving and strong unit. With Shannan having a difficult journey of self love growing up, dealing with Lupus and a previous divorce, finding her husband Chris was a God send in her eyes, even saying “[she] couldn’t have asked God for a better man”. She really believed he was the best thing that had happened to her and at first, their relationship really bloomed as they went on to have two daughters. Through Shannan’s Facebook, you can see the family spending a great deal of time together, with grandparents, on birthdays or just even hanging around at home.

Chris Watts is quick to arrive on scene when the police and Shannan’s best friend turn up to find Shannan and her kids missing. He’s helpful and calm in the investigation, doing everything he can in the search for his wife and two kids. At first, the police overlook his unusual behaviour, as friends recall Chris acting out of the ordinary the days after Shannan goes missing. He’s shaky, over talkative and fidgety in his help towards finding Shannan as the town of Frederick is alerted to her disappearance. What starts as a mysetry soon turns to murder and the whereabouts of Shannan turns out to be a lot closer to home than anyone ever thought.

The documentary is shocking in its rhetoric and highlights the most grieving parts of this case. The story develops slowly and with sensitivity and for those unaware of this case, will be truly shaken by it.