Never Let Him Go

Do NOT miss "Never Let Him Go." It is a brilliantly made documentary of profound emotional power. As a gay man who somehow survived the 1980s, I look upon the murder of this young gay man as the fate I narrowly escaped. The film yanks the veil of secrecy off the Sydney police, with their code of indifference and silent contempt towards gay men. The perseverance of the victim's brother, Steve Johnson, is astonishing, pushing to find answers for 33 years. Yes, joining Steve on his long painful journey is a slog, but stick with it. The resolution is well worth the time it takes to reach. Even today, as gay men, we remain vulnerable, easily crushed by a toxic brew of self-righteousness, ignorance and hate. We survive only when courageous straight people have our backs. I ask you to be inspired by Steve Johnson. If you have a gay friend or relative, I ask that you stick with him when he needs you most. I ask that you never let him go.

This family "can't believe" that they are going without justice while demanding that their case get all the attention of the police. They used manipulation and money to make sure they got time from the police for answering their every complaint as well as investigating. Wonder what families got their justice bumped because they couldn't pull as many strings. If they wanted those results and have money they should have paid a PI not an investigative journalist. This was about making Australia look bad not justice and I'm American and could care less about Australias police force.

This man's self importance is nauseating & will make your head explode. I am sorry for the family's loss, but I'm more sorry that his wife & children have had to live with his obsession. He's too busy proving a point than to be a good father or spouse.

The entire movie & relentless "investigation" are examples of people with $$$$ feeling that they should take priority over EVERYONE else.

I can't express enough how obnoxious this man is.

Don't waste your time with this well made documentary unless you enjoy listening to pompous, rich white men talk about how much smarter they are than others & how "famous" they are in a foreign country,

As Episode 1 of "Never Let Him Go" (2023 release; 4 episodes ranging from 50 to 55 min) opens, we are introduced to Steve Johnson. Steve's brother Scott was found dead in a suburb of Sydney, Australia in December, 1988, seemingly by suicide. Steve isn't buying it and decides to look into it... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from producer-director Jeff Dupre ("Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children). Here he reassesses what transpired over 3+ decades as the death of an American in Australia remains unexplained. We get extensive background as to the background of the deceased (how did he end up in Australia?). But we also get a nuances look how the surviving brother Steve decides to "never let hum go", and continues to search for answers, even as the local police in Manly, NSW are clearly tired of the situation and of Steve. "A complex picture of incompetence", is how someone describes it. All that aside, towards the end the observation is made that Steve was able to persist for decades because of his wealth. There is some undeniable truth to this. But without Steve's unending doggedness, he would not have been able to see this through either.

All 4 episodes of "Never Let Him Go" started streaming on Hulu a few days ago. It has gotten widespread critical acclaim, and deservedly so. If you are in the mood for a true crime documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

The title Never Let Him Go may allude to either Steve's tenacity at seeking justice for Scott or his inability to resolve his unbridled grief and letting Scott go. The documentary itself was balanced and unbiased with accounts from all key players: from the family members to the attending officer back in 1988 to the lead investigator at unsolved murders. For a saga spanning nearly four decades, I thought the four hours runtime was appropriate.

The most interesting part to me was in episode 3 where we saw the clash between Pamela and Steve. I had a lot of empathy for Pamela and could appreciate her transference when she perceived Steve as an entitled rich white man who undermined her authority and professionalism. This was a woman who had to claw her way to the top in a white male-dominated environment. Steve on the other hand displayed no empathy towards Pamela, gloating later about how Pamela shot herself in the foot when it was he who loaded the gun by leaking her email to him to the media. Her tone remained composed while his own earlier reprimand of her can be described as spiteful.

After the killer was apprehended, found guilty and sentenced, a result that not even the family believed was possible, Steve conceded that he would never get closure and that he would keep returning to the site of Scott's death to mourn what could have been. While it is true that everyone processes grief in their own time, I wonder how much counselling if any Steve has accessed. Almost 35 years since Scott's death, he seems no closer to accepting the loss of his brother, in spite of all the effort spent in the pursuit of justice. Money may have bought him his brother's killer but it is not bringing him any peace.