This is a compelling story about a double murder and the teen couple that was implicated, but it’s rendered clinical and dry in this documentary. In 1985, Jens Soering was convicted of brutally murdering the parents of his girlfriend Elizabeth Haysom in Bedford County, VA. Luckily, the filmmakers had plenty of footage from the trials, so there’s a lot of time spent in court. In addition, there are interviews with people involved in the case, mostly legal and law enforcement types. The potential for a fascinating account is there, but the lackluster pacing, uninventive direction/editing and absence of any emotional impact make it a ponderous and sometimes confusing legal exercise. Only the last 30 minutes (of a 2-hour-plus movie) develops any outrage in the apparent injustice against Soering and its indictment of Virginia’s legal system. (Running one week only at Movieland).
(2 / 5)