Soupçons (2004) (TV)

English titles: The Staircase; Death on the Staircase.

This documentary covers the indictment and subsequent trial of a man in North Carolina who was accused of the murder of his wife. It's an excellent show although the filmmaker didn't have as much access to the prosecution as he had to the defense team. It's very important that everyone who has the chance to and considers himself (herself) as a responsible citizen watches this, as it touches on very important aspects of the justice system in the U.S. (but that are no doubt present in varying degrees in many other so-called democracies); the one aspect which is prominently in evidence here is the jury system. This documentary's political,institutional, educational, anthropological, forensic, and, last but by no means least, domestic safety implications are big and by far surpass the scope of these modest notes. All I can do is stress that this miniseries should be seen by as many people as possible; more than that, it should be studied and meditated upon, if we want this world to function in a more rational and civilized way. Just as a side note, I would like to add that the fact that it's also tremendously entertaining does not detract from its seriousness one bit; this is good entertainment, achieved through honesty and intelligence. The implications of what is demonstrated in this telefilm are far wider in scope than the specific case which is analysed. Basically, its point is that in a trial the defendant's fate is put in the hands of twelve people whose education level, moral integrity, mental health, religious beliefs, political inclinations, and intelligence quotients, are anyone's guess, and who probably in most cases would have some difficulty understanding (or at any rate accepting) the concepts "burden of proof" and "reasonable doubt"; they might dislike the defendant for a vast number of reasons, and if someone linked to the defense tries to explain chaos theory or biomechanics to them, then you can abandon all your hopes; they also will very probably suffer peer pressure either explicitly or tacitly, not to mention outside influences which this film discusses at length. In view of all that, let me finish with one single question: is it possible that this is the best we can come up with, in terms of the application of justice?
Dealing with somewhat related subjects, see also a great nonfiction film named "Capturing the Friedmans".

Rating: 75 (4th position in my list of 2004's best)