Synopsis
Using raw, firsthand footage, this documentary examines the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children, and the terrible events that followed.
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Cast
- Nickole AtkinsonSelf
- Jim BenemannSelf
- Luke EppleSelf
- Mark JamiesonSelf
- Nichol KessingerSelf
- Marcelo KopcowSelf
- Karen LeighSelf
- Theresa MarchettaSelf
- Tom MustinSelf
- Michael RourkeSelf
Recommendations
- 80
The New York Times
Popplewell’s film presents the Watts story as more than a crime story. It is a thematic film about marriage and the deception of social media, as well as a piercing examination of domestic violence constructed with care and undeniable craft. - 75
IndieWire
An impeccably produced look at a heinous crime, Popplewell’s documentary meticulously weaves together a wealth of information . . . that it almost feels too readymade for the film treatment. Almost. - 63
RogerEbert.com
The result is a film that feels deeply personal, and not always in a good way. It’s a film that can’t help but feel a little like an invasion of privacy. - 58
The Film Stage
Maybe my criticism of American Murder is more a criticism of the genre itself and how its desire to shed light on crimes inherently exploits them regardless of intent. Popplewell’s film is an expertly researched prologue to a much-needed conversation it avoids. - 58
The Playlist
As an experiment in format, “America Murder” is intriguing. Instead of bringing people in to give fresh commentary, we have only the artifacts left behind by a seemingly ordinary family in a seemingly ordinary suburb. But as a documentary, it makes for an incomplete picture, like trying to piece together the story of an ancient disaster based only on archaeological fragments.
