‘A Deadly American Marriage’ Review: A Confounding And Compelling Netflix True Crime Documentary
I watch enough true crime programming that I can often predict where a case is going long before the series, documentary, or news magazine ultimately reveals all to the audience. Over time, armchair detectives like myself begin to pick up on behavioral patterns that make forming (often accurate) opinions about guilt or innocence somewhat intuitive. Despite my sixth sense for these things, I found myself repeatedly surprised by the case chronicled within the Netflix true crime documentary A Deadly American Marriage.
The film chronicles the brutal death of Jason Corbett at the hands of his wife, Molly Martens, and her dad, Thomas Martens. What begins as a harmonious union between Molly and Jason gradually grows contentious, with custody concerns causing both parties to weaponize the kids as pawns in their respective endgames. The children, Jack Corbett Lynch and Sarah Corbett Lynch, ultimately wind up collateral damage, with the impact of what they endured still palpable a decade after the grisly ordeal at the center of this heartbreaking case.
A Deadly American Marriage benefits from thoughtful oversight by filmmakers with a firm grasp on what makes for a compelling true crime documentary.
What makes A Deadly American Marriage stand out to me is the way co-directors Jenny Popplewell and Jessica Burgess assemble the interviews and footage. Like many true crime documentarians, the filmmakers give viewers pertinent information through the eyes of law enforcement, legal representation, those close to the victim, as well as the accused. This approach allows the audience to see the investigation unfold as it did for those involved. What makes that novel here is that the prosecution successfully suppressed (as well as seemingly overlooked) a lot of details pertinent to Molly and Thomas’ defense. The filmmakers don’t gloss over anything, however. They merely follow the case as it played out, resulting in a riveting profile.
Defying convention, the core story within the documentary really picks up speed after the accused parties stand trial at roughly the 45-minute mark. The profile of the case begins in a fashion that suggests an outcome few wouldn’t see coming, which makes the first half of the doc feel a little like a very predictable episode of Dateline. However, just as it seems the case is over and done with, an unexpected curveball changes everything.
I won’t go too deep into specifics because you may not have seen the picture yet, and if I run down the entire ordeal, there’s little reason for you to watch this chilling effort. Since I see ample merit in A Deadly American Marriage, I will avoid doing that, focusing instead on providing a critique that avoids giving too many core details away and hopefully aids you in determining whether or not the film sounds like a compelling watch.
There are no easy answers to be found here
I connected with the doc as an unflinching effort attempting to chronicle a case with many moving parts. The guilt or innocence of the characters isn’t as cut and dried as it seems initially. I have a pretty good idea of what went down and how, but the filmmakers take care to present all possible angles to the viewer, leaving them to make up their own minds from there.
Even though I have formed my own opinions after considering all the facts presented, this is a case I will think about down the road. There are so many factors that made me second-guess certain conclusions, and there are only two people (maybe just one) who really know the unvarnished truth of it all.
All things considered, A Deadly American Marriage is an exhaustive look at a case likely to leave many viewers with more questions than answers. Namely, we are left to wonder if the survivors were truly acting in self-defense as they say, or if one or both are actually cold-blooded killers establishing an elaborate ruse as part of a cynical attempt to win a custody battle.
The third option is that the truth may lie somewhere in between the two seemingly opposed extremes. No matter the case, this is a doc that true crime buffs should make haste to check out. If you’re keen to do that, you can find A Deadly American Marriage streaming on Netflix now.
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A Deadly American Marriage
Summary
If you’re riveted by true crime reporting, make your way over to Netflix and check out ‘A Deadly American Marriage.’
Categorized:Reviews
