From the excitement that "Making a Murderer" has produced, "Making a Murderer" has to recover for the first time. The first season of the documentary series, which was released on Netflix in December 2015, caused a furore worldwide - the story of car scrap dealer Steven Avery was so tragic.
In 1985, falsely sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, Avery was released after 18 years - a DNA test had proved his innocence, which the local police, like the story of Making a Murderer, had no interest in from the outset.
Barely released, Avery had to face the next charge: the murder of Teresa Halbach, who photographed cars for a used-car magazine. As adventurous investigations and indictments were drafted in the series, the verdict turned out to be so depressing. Lifelong for Avery and a long sentence for his 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey, who was forced by the police into a fictitious confession, as shown in "Making a Murderer", without which Avery could not have been convicted.
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Steven Avery (right) with his parents
"Making a Murderer" by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos moves in a strange borderline between documentation and fiction. The first season arranges the material from ten years so confidently that the result is a classic feature film dramaturgy. results. The rich material from interrogations and courtrooms, from private recordings and self-made recordings produced in the well-composed synopsis, the impression of complete narrative.
Feedback effects
The first episode of the now released second season is accordingly concerned with the effects of feedback: "Making a Murderer" registers how "Making a Murderer" has become a media phenomenon. This self-referential theming, which made the making of "Making a Murderer" to the fate of Steven Avery, is always both: both public interest as a way to expose a judicial scandal, as well as the media exploitation of a story that influence a verdict can.
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Brendan Dassey (middle) with mother and stepfather
In this sense, the second season is first a media phenomenon: The commitment of the defender Kathleen Zellner, which specializes in hopeless cases of innocent imprisoned, is unthinkable without the public impetus of the first season. For years Zellner does not comply with Avery's request to help him. Only when she sees "Making a Murderer" does she assure her of his support.
A lawyer like a script doctor
Zellner is - in the categories of fictional moving image spoken - leading actress, superheroine. A figure like that from the "Simpsons": original and always reflected caricature of herself, one that only adorns itself with superlatives (the experts with whom she really wants to enlighten the case, are basically the best in the world). Zellner's masklike facial expressions have something extremely casual about them (which reminds me of the ripped-off, dumping-in-the-mouth appraisal of Lunchlady Doris among the "Simpsons"), with no undue perversity over the power of rational evidence, every stage gain on the opposing side registered ("I do not care what they're going to do").
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Lawyer Kathleen Zellner in "Making a Murderer"
At Zellner, the social implications of "Making a Murderer" can be read off; Her appearance touches on gender issues because she wants to see the defense of the former prosecutor and all the police men who want to put Avery behind bars. The lawyer staged an enchanting way - and is staged by "Making a Murderer" - as a scout.
On the one hand, "Making a Murderer" is a narrative about the injustice of a justice that should be democratic. It touches on the existence of power if - in comparison to Zellner - idealistic Appellate Lawyers of Brendan Dassey find only one wall of rejection at each instance. On the other hand, "Making a Murderer" is an expression of faith in art - Zellner's Investigations in Season Two seem like the work of a script doctor: The lame screenplay of the first season turns from her fascination with every detail of the case and its narrative into a gripping crime story revised.
Now only the reality has to keep up and procure the " happy ending " for the upcoming third season of "Making a Murderer".
" Making a Murderer ", Season 2, ten new episodes at Netflix