"The Thin Blue Line" is Errol. A semi-documentary filmed by Morris that traces and reproduces a "framing and scapegoating" case in the United States. It tells the story of David Harris being accused of murdering the police and the policewoman, the judge, and the witnesses are all the real criminals-Landau Adams, a 16-year-old boy who shirks responsibility and finally turns over the truth for many years. . The entire documentary starts from the memories and self-reports of the events of the day by the two "suspects". The contradictory starting point of the matter gradually emerged from the perspectives and narratives of two different people. A policeman was shot dead late at night, and this incident was enough to cause a sensation throughout the state. The arrest of the suspects was a 28-year-old young man, David Harris, and a 16-year-old, childish-looking Landau Adams. People instinctively suspected that David Harris killed the police, and subconsciously felt that he might be possible. Sex is far greater than a minor. Minors do not have the ability to cause a shooting and cannot yet be sentenced. David Harris's innocent face makes people more confident. But is this really the case?
The director adopted the method of direct film, half-recorded and half-narrated about each event causing a lot of conflicts, highlighting the strong drama of the whole event, and pieced together the reality through parallel editing. Many scenes and lens focusing are used in the film (such as close-ups of guns, flashing red car lights, cigarette butts being pressed out in an ashtray full of cigarette butts, wort cups falling to the ground...)
Under the eyes of the lens, all lies were exposed. The director used the subjective narrative of the crowd to make up a big lie to the event, and only exposed the lie one by one at the end. As the lies were exposed one by one, the dark side of everyone’s heart was revealed one by one under the lens: policewomen, local judges in Texas, etc. who forged a lie can only be sentenced to death at the age of 28, and witnesses were discovered just for that. With the high bonus and his own interests, David's brother was afraid of being implicated and shunned. Adams just wanted to escape the crime... Behind this unjust case is a manifestation of the darkness of human nature in a society under the rule of law. The recording of David's interview at the end of the film is even more thought-provoking-what is a legal society, and how many such "innocent people" are there in the world?
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