Review of Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2012) by Mike C — 28 Jan 2012

One of five Oscar nominated documentaries this year, and the best I've seen yet (better than Hell and Back and If Tree Falls). This case just blows my mind all-around. It is everything I hate multiplied about ten times. I have not followed this case closely over the years, nor do I intend to start now. Part of me, while watching, thinks the boys could have done it. That might be the worst part of this whole deal: people latch on to documentaries and become experts in something they really don't know that much about.

And that is one reason this documentary is so important. I couldn't name three, if any, documentaries that have made such an impact. This is part three, and the other two similarly named films tackle the same case with the information available at the time. This film becomes the most important because filming wrapped up just days before the three were released from prison. A new ending includes this. Along the way, it is a nice setup where you have all these people on record for 18 years, so the filmmakers can put statements made in 2009 up against statements made in 2003.

As I say, just a disturbing case and exhibit A in the case for education. Who killed the boys, which is digusting? If you didn't do it, why did you confess? I don't really believe there can be an excuse here, but I suppose low IQ, youth, and forced confession are valid reasons. Police work all along seems shoddy at best. They canvassed one neighborhood but not the other!? One of the step-fathers had a violent past and was violent in the months following!? And this guy, as it turns out, changes his answers all the time and was seen with the kids hours before the murders when he said he didn't see them? Jesus. This makes me think of stereotypical, hick Arkansas. So then DNA kinda clears the men. I'm not so sure about this. Many a murders have been committed with DNA not being left behind. In other words, DNA can be left behind and lead to a positive match. No DNA being found does not mean no one committed the murder. A hair was found, but that sounds suspect as it was on a shoelace. Definitely worth investigating as this was the violent step-father, but little more that circumstantial I would think as is. Finally, they're going to release the three men. The state never admits wrong, so they had to plead guilty before being released. I literally cannot think of anything more stupid.

So I give this an 8/10 because I like the new interviews set against the old interviews. I like the importance of the documentaries. It is an unusual and interesting case. But what a clusterfuck. I just cannot hold the filmmakers responsible for that.