Der Fall Jens Söring - Tödliche Leidenschaft

All I can say without ruining or spoiling it is I was riveted. This story is so bananas it's hard to even believe but it's true, it happened. I remember seeing their faces on the tv when I was young but I don't remember what exactly what went down and if you don't know, I would advise you go in not knowing. It's better that way. Because at one point my jaw was on the floor. Basically it's the story of two high IQ rich kids with enormous egos who fall in love and develop a shared delusion based on literature works like Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. They then plan to murder the girl's parents so she could be "free." -insert rolled eyes emoji- You can binge watch this in a night and it's highly worth it.

Netflix has done a solid job churning out this relatively-compelling documentary mini-series.

It centers around a brutal double homicide and the two individuals believed to have been involved in it. But questions about each individual's role in the crime loom, and each opens itself up to meaningful rabbit holes worthy of true crime exploration.

But don't expect this mini-series to get to the bottom of any questions or even explore any rabbit hole in much depth. Expect, rather, sneak peaks of many rabbit holes. It's sort of like the Ikea Showroom of intellectually-compelling true crime - entertaining enough but lacking punch.

I especially surprised that, even near the end of the series, some basic elements of the crime (logistics, brutality, etc.) were not discussed, though they both could have made meaningful and highly-relevant talking points. My inner philosophy student was also somewhat surprised that they failed to mention the prisoner's dilemma.

It almost seems like the series was put together kind of shabbily - if not carelessly. Another sign of this is that Jens Soering's interviews are all in German, despite him speaking perfect English. This was probably because they used the footage from the previously-made German documentary "Killing For Love" (I haven't verified this but strongly suspect it). I don't take issue with the German itself, but it's just another reason to suspect that Netflix is - perhaps fittingly - not telling us the whole story here....

Thankfully, the basics of the story are very intriguing, and the whole story isn't necessary if one's goal is simply to produce "binge-worthy" true crime content. The real life mystery, therefore, provides all the intellectual weight. And coupled with the solid aesthetic production of any Netflix content, that makes for entertaining viewing. It sure could have been better, but that doesn't make it bad.

There seems to be no doubt that Elizabeth's parents were killed by her, him or both of them. At the very least, they planned it together. What never ceases to amaze me is that he appears to be so happy. He spent 33 years in prison!! I can't help but think that, being the same age as Jens, it's as if I was put in prison at 21 and released today. A whole life lost and he appears happy. And another thing, why was he received as a hero in Germany? I'm also surprised that certain American politicians were so eager to set him free. After all, the sentence was never changed, he was and is guilty. The series? Good, a 6.

Usually when Netflix presents a true-crime documentary, there is always some sort of controversial angle to discuss. In this one, in my opinion, there is nothing controversial to discuss. Both of the people who were accused of the crime most likely had something to do with the crime. Only one of them was convicted of murder, served a prison sentence that was equally lengthy. You might argue that neither one of them deserved to be released on parole, but that is another question altogether. I don't believe that Jens had nothing to do with the murder, and I also don't believe that Elizabeth was not present during the murder. The alibi that they both constructed was pretty weak considering it relied on movie tickets that can be fixed, especially back then. And if they were innocent, why did they both run away together, causing an international manhunt?

I give this one a solid 8 and would have given it a 10 if they hadn't drawn it out because I think the series could have wrapped up in less time. Anyway, the two main characters, wow are they sociopathic clever I'll give them that one. I don't want to add details because I don't want to spoil it, but the twists in this, the sheer creepy natural style of the two makes the hairs on your neck stand up. I can only say that I wish the crime investigation tech of today had been available back then. I watched this in a morning (I wake up really early) and couldn't stop. The investigative side and commentary woven in makes this a well done documentary. I'll say remember one word 'passion'...in more ways than one.