I am normally not to taken with true crime type movies or television shows, but as I was perusing Netflix offerings recently I was somehow drawn to a new show they have developed titled, I Am A Stalker, apparently it is an offshoot of another show they developed called, I Am A Killer. Both shows work off of the premise of convicted prisoners of the crimes of stalking and murder, respectively, being interviewed and delving a bit into the "why" of their crimes.
I think the show exploring the "why" of the crimes and digging a bit into the psychological factors is probably what got its hooks into me and really made me stick around and become invested in both series. In general, most "true crime" shows or documentaries end up being a bunch of poorly executed re-enactments with actors who have no clue what the offender, victim, cops, or other participants, willing or not, were thinking, feeling, or experiencing. They end up getting so many things wrong procedurally that I get disgusted and frustrated extremely quickly.
The beauty of these shows is you get some facts of each case in the form of on screen text and then you hear directly, in most cases, from the convicted, victim, family members, law enforcement, and reporters associated with each case. Each episode is woven together fairly artistically and the filler footage they get for each episode is visually striking and helps add to the atmosphere of the show.
Most people would be more drawn to the murderer series due to the sensationalism of killing, but I found myself enjoying the stalking one much more. I think this may be attributed to my experiences with the criminal justice system and how I've seen, first-hand, how poorly we protect people that are victims of stalking. This series not only explores the mental state of the offenders, but it exposes the multiple failures of the justice system in most every step of the cases and how deeply that affects the victims and their families.
These are definitely not your typical true crime style series and I would highly recommend them to those who are fans of the genre and also to those who are not. There is so much to be learned about the psychology of each of these types of crimes and the only complaint I have about the series is that sometimes they are shot and pieced in a manner to garner sympathy for the offender without taking into account how that may impact the victims and their families.
If you have some time and are looking for something to watch, you can't go wrong with these two!
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien
