Toward the end of “Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story,” former state prosecutor Preston Shipp considers his shifting thoughts on the notion of justice. It’s shouldn’t be about alleging rule violations, he says, but about trying to achieve the right outcome in each case. In other words, for all the rigors of law and order, true justice isn’t procedural: it’s as changeable and untidy as human behavior itself. Tracing the contours and reversals of an ugly legal affair that initially saw underage sex worker Cyntoia Brown sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an adult predator, Daniel H. Birman’s documentary is likewise most rewarding when it focuses on messy human complexities over chilly courtroom process. What begins as seemingly another lurid Netflix true-crime excavation emerges as a considerably more affecting testament to the damage wrought by generation upon generation of sexual abuse.
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- 4/23/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Violent crimes committed by the young are becoming an increasing dilemma and tonight, on PBS (check your local listings), filmmaker Daniel H. Birman will be exploring the issue in his documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story.
Under the Independent Lens series, the documentary examines the arrest and trial of Cyntoia Brown, a 16 year old girl arrested for the murder of a 43 year old man over sex.
Film synopsis states:
“Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” explores Cyntoia’s history and her future. Without attempting to excuse her crime as youthful indiscretion nor to vilify her as an example of a generation gone off the rails, Birman simply follows Cyntoia through six years of her life after the crime, and searches for answers to persistent questions.
The camera first glimpses Cyntoia the week of her arrest at age 16 and follows her for nearly six years. Along the way, nationally renowned juvenile forensic psychiatrist,...
Under the Independent Lens series, the documentary examines the arrest and trial of Cyntoia Brown, a 16 year old girl arrested for the murder of a 43 year old man over sex.
Film synopsis states:
“Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” explores Cyntoia’s history and her future. Without attempting to excuse her crime as youthful indiscretion nor to vilify her as an example of a generation gone off the rails, Birman simply follows Cyntoia through six years of her life after the crime, and searches for answers to persistent questions.
The camera first glimpses Cyntoia the week of her arrest at age 16 and follows her for nearly six years. Along the way, nationally renowned juvenile forensic psychiatrist,...
- 3/1/2011
- by Cynthia
- ShadowAndAct
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