Memórias de Um Assassinato

I have never reviewed before and am writing this positive review to counteract the effects of the premature negative reviews. This documentary was fascinating and horrifying. I really recommend giving it a chance. Most of the negative reviews I read, whatever their complaint, were written after only two or three episodes. Stick with it! This doc was thoughtfully constructed to reveal all the various elements of the story at the exact right time. Above all, I am thoroughly impressed with the director's success at getting so many meaningful interviews from all points of view at various stages of the project. What fabulous work!

As Episode 1 of "Mind Over Murder" (2022 release; 6 episodes of about 55 min each) opens, we find ourselves in a remote small Nebraska town called Beatrice, population 12,669. Various Beatrice residents introduce themselves and speak directly into the camera. Then we learn that in February, 1985, a 68 yr old grandma called Helen Wilson was brutally raped and murdered, causing a seismic shock in the small community. Who could've done such a horrible and heinous crime? At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary of Nanfy Wang ("One Child Nation"). Here she reassesses the events of February, 1985 and how it all plays out afterwards. I don't want to go into more specifics in case you are not fully aware of this case. Let's just say that there are quite a number of "twists" along the way, I mean you can't make this stuff up because it wouldn't be believable. Indeed once again these facts are stranger than fiction. The film makers do a good job of covering all the different possibilities. It's truly like making a 1,500 pieces puzzle, one piece at the time.

"Mind Over Murder" premiered a couple of weeks ago on HBO and a new episode comes out every Monday (and then stream on HBO Max). We are now 3 episodes into it, and I can't wait to see the remaining 3 episodes. If you love true crime and a good documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

There are some reviews on here complaining about the length of this series, and that it could have been shorter. Stick with it until the end, because it all comes together in an explosive and emotional finale. Watching the family of Helen Wilson finally realize that the story they have been told was in fact wrong was just heart wrenching. The families of the victim and the families of the people falsely incarcerated for the crime come together by the end, and you can finally see generations of affected family members reach some sort of peace and closure. As a huge true crime fan, this one really hit the mark.

A mark of intelligence is the willingness and ability to change one's perception as new information becomes available. It's rarely seen among group thinkers, be it a tight knit neighborhood or a virtual community with an opinion. The movie Mind over Murder is remarkable when we see people literally putting themselves in others' situations, changing their minds and imparting their collective gained wisdom on others.

As I suspected those slamming the series did not watch through to the end. At first I too was put off a bit by the pacing and the play aspect, but then I began to understand the reason for it. By the last episode I knew I was seeing something truly unique and a project that tangibly led to healing in this small town.

The true crime murder component of the movie is a vehicle for what I saw as something far more meaningful which is humans softening and beginning to understand one another in the face of heightened emotion and years of pain and solidifying opinions. It is something the residents of our world need so much. This docuseries was life changing for so many people who were in pain. I felt that while watching the last episode. Are there moments of cringe? Yes. But they serve a purpose. Give it a chance. We learn in the movie that some people simply don't want to hear the truth after investing so many years in a certain way of thought. I recommend softening, opening your mind and then diving in to this.

This is one of the few series that I feel really used the length to build an emotional story for the audience too. The ending episode had a feeling a catharsis for me as well. You'll see some complaints about the length, but it's necessary to look at this from all angles. The individuals testimony were heartfelt.

Burt Searcy is an asshole though, and the guy in the play did him perfect. Looking at his phone because that's easier than facing the pain he caused these people just because they were "undesirables." He wants to talk about how this is hurtful to Helen's family, this is just capitalizing on their pain, but who's the one who inserted himself into this and whined about his legacy to the cameras? He didn't "solve" this case because he's a kind person, he did it because he wanted to live forever through it and erase his cloud that came with leaving the Beatrice PD. A very repulsive man.