View more about An American Crime reviews
Sometimes a movie that doesn't give an answer is a good movie
Brenda 2022-04-19 09:03:00
Reconstructing the crime from the court records, thinking about the entire crime process and erasing the character of the victim, who is a bit like Jesus, carrying everything. I read that the score on Rotten Tomatoes is not high, but this kind of treatment is giving the greatest respect to the restoration case. Leaving aside the Lucifer effect, this film focuses more on the evil factors caused by society, family, economy, and community, so it is normal for the victims to not stand out personally. It is reminiscent of the serial torture cases in Japan, where criminals let victims torture their parents and children, or teenagers gather to torture high school students to death. As a film story rather than a psychology documentary, the purpose is to show what human nature looks like, and these looks are often not understandable by common sense. Without a psychological sociological explanation, just a "common sense" perspective, evil does sometimes seem unreasonable, pure evil. There must be room for humanistic films not to do things they don't understand. That's why I think it's a good movie.
Extended Reading
-
Gertrude Baniszewski: You know what it's like to be sick, Sylvia. I've been sick for so long, too. I can't... discipline my kids they was I should. I punish them I know, but... sometimes with my medicine I gets so I don't know what I'm doing.
[begins to cry]
Gertrude Baniszewski: And I care for them so much. Paula, the thing is... Paula's a lot like me. I had her when I was just about your age. Then Stephanie. Then all the others. Then John left... And here I am on medicine, doing whatever I can to keep my family together. I want something better for Paula... There has to be something better... And I need to protect my children...
[cries]
Gertrude Baniszewski: Do you understand that? You kids... you're all I've got... Thank you, Sylvia. Thank you for understanding, thank you.
-
Sylvia Likens: She sacrificed me to protect her children, and she sacrificed her children to protect herself.