West of Memphis (2012)

An examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.

Director:

Amy Berg

Writers:

Amy Berg, Billy McMillin

Stars:

Jason Baldwin, Damien Wayne Echols, Jessie Misskelley

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michael Baden	...	Self (as Dr. Michael Baden)
Jason Baldwin	...	Self
Holly Ballard	...	Self
Jamie Clark Ballard	...	Self
Jennifer Bearden	...	Self
Patrick Benca	...	Self
Steve Braga	...	Self
Karen Bruewer	...	Self
David Burnett	...	Self
John Mark Byers	...	Self (as Mark Byers)
Michael Carson	...	Self
Dennis Carter	...	Self
The Chicks	...	Themselves (archive footage) (as Dixie Chicks)
Heather Crawford	...	Self (archive footage)
Joyce Cureton	...	Self

Storyline

West of Memphis is an examination of a failure of justice in Arkansas. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Told and made by those who lived it, the filmmakers' unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defense, allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before; revealing shocking and disturbing new information about a case that still haunts the American South.

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Plot Keywords:

west memphis three | alford plea | year 1996 | year 1993 | year 2009 | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content and some language

Did You Know?

Quotes

Damien Wayne Echols: The thing I like most about time is that it's not real. It's all in the head. Sure, it's a useful trick if you wanna meet someone at a specific place in the universe to have tea or coffee. But that's all it is, a trick. There's no such thing as the past, it exists only in the memory. There's no such thing as the future, it exists only in our imagination. If our watches were truly accurate the only thing they would ever say is now.

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Connections

References Paradise Lost: the Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

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Soundtracks

Anything Made of Paper
Written by Bill Carter and Ruth Ellsworth (as Ruth Ellsworth-Carter)
Performed by Bill Carter
Published by Blame Music Publishing (BMI), administered by Bug Music
Courtesy of Bill Carter and Ruth Ellsworth

User Reviews

An excellent overview of a complex and troubling miscarriage of justice

While the story of the West Memphis Three, their awful flawed trial and subsequent efforts to obtain freedom were well covered in the "Paradise Lost" trilogy of films, this single film overview has a lot of value.

Perhaps because the case can now be looked back on in total, it feels like there is a clearer focus here than in the excellent "Paradise Lost" series. There also seems to be more of an emphasis on the emotion and humanity of all the victims – the three falsely convicted young men, but also the families that lost children.

Last, the film makes some of the awful holes in the prosecution case more simple and clear than earlier accounts, as well as putting a chilling spotlight on the possible real perpetrator, but without the theatrics that harmed 'Paradise Lost 2', which seemed guilty of what the trial did to the three boys; throw suspicion on a subject largely because he 'acted weird'.

Here the investigation into another possibility feels more dispassionate and scientific, and less manipulated, leaving one with questions rather than forcing conclusions.

The world might not have 'needed' another film on the subject, but personally, I feel the more injustice can be intelligently examined and exposed the better off we are as a society.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony [United States]

Country:

New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 2012 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

West of Memphis

Filming Locations:

Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,360, 30 December 2012

Gross USA:

$310,154

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$318,317

Company Credits

Production Co:

Disarming Films, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1