'American Murder: The Family Next Door': Netflix true crime review

In August of 2018, 34-year-old Shannan Watts of Frederick, Colorado, went missing after returning from a work trip. Her two young daughters were also nowhere to be found, but her husband remained — and her friends were understandably concerned.

Watts' disappearance made national news. Some were terrified for Shannan, believing her husband, Chris Watts, was responsible. Others criticized her, claiming she deserved whatever fate had befallen her. In the end, the truth was revealed.

Spoiler alert: Chris was the killer. But Netflix's American Murder: The Family Next Door doesn't try to hide this from viewers. It's not a whodunit. (I quickly and correctly guessed what had happened to the victims.) But this is also what makes the documentary so compelling. It's more about the journey to the truth than the truth itself, with a heavy emphasis on how difficult it can be to accept the reality right in front of you.

The Family Next Door unfolds Shannan's case through a series of social media posts, police body cams, news footage, text messages, home videos, and more. Rather than dramatizing the events of the missing persons case with flashy reenactments, the true crime doc lets the recorded footage tell the story — and this works to its benefit.

The documentary opens with Chris letting the police into his home to search for clues. He sends his wife worried texts asking where she is. He pleads for her to come home on the news. And yet, this entire time, he knows what he's done. The lies are sickening and harrowing, particularly when we hear them come from the killer himself as opposed to an actor.

Chris' story continues to spiral. He fesses up to some tension in his marriage. He later accuses his wife of murdering their daughters and claims to have killed her not knowing what else to do. Eventually, after failing a polygraph test, he reveals what actually went down.

One of the documentary's biggest strengths is its strikingly personal feel, created by its humanization of Shannan. We're frequently shown her optimistic online presence, in which she shares big moments in her family's lives, like when her kids celebrate their birthdays or meet "Santa Clause" (their dad in disguise). Because Shannan speaks directly to the camera in her Facebook uploads, a personal one-way relationship is created between her and the viewers. This is juxtaposed with concerned texts she sent to friends and her husband, all of which reveal her painful, worsening marital issues. In addition to portraying Shannan as a real, layered person, these contrasting glimpses into her life remind the audience that the highlight reels people put up on social media are never complete portraits of reality.

This makes the documentary's narrative even more unsettling. What happened to Shannan and her daughters is wild and horrid — and her seemingly random disappearance would have been impossible for anyone watching her Facebook videos to predict.

While The Family Next Door shows how we don't always see what happens behind the scenes, it also exposes the horrors of domestic abuse and the murder of women by their partners, which is, unfortunately, on the rise. The documentary concludes by informing the audience that three women are killed by their ex-partner or current partner in America every single day. These stats are staggering and should not go unnoticed, especially because it can happen to anyone.

American Murder: The Family Next Dooris a stomach-churning, emotional missing persons story that, rather than exploiting its victims, shows them in an authentic light. It requires focus in order to catch all the most important details, but it's well worth it if you want to learn about the hidden facts behind a highly publicized case — from the brewing tension between Shannan and Chris' parents to the details of Chris' extramarital affair. While The Family Next Dooris meant to captivate audiences (It's still a Netflix doc), it more importantly forces viewers to question the perceptions they develop with limited insight. This pushes it from an intriguing crime narrative to an influential one.

American Murder: The Family Next Dooris now streaming on Netflix.

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