The Fear of 13

On the face of it, a documentary that spends a full hour and a half sitting with one guy as he talks to the camera doesn't sound all that interesting. Yet THE FEAR OF 13 turns out to be stark, compelling and ultimately moving viewing, because the interview subject has one hell of a story to tell.

In essence, this is a story of Death Row and the life and death struggle that takes place within. Nick Yarris was sent down in the 1980s, but his life story incorporates much more than a simple tale of life behind bars. There's action in the form of thrilling police chases, a murder mystery, courtroom drama, a blistering critique of the American justice system, and finally catharsis of sorts.

Director David Sington commendably avoids tricks for the most part, content for Yarris to tell his own story in his own words - after all, it needs no embellishment. There are a couple of flashbacks and some evocative music and sound to fit the theme, and it all works. THE FEAR OF 13 is a fine piece of film-making and one that deserves to be seen by all.

Nick Yarris was convicted of a horrible crime and sentenced to death – this is his story. It is basically Nick telling the story of his life to camera and mostly done in a chronological fashion. There is some re enactment of his past life as a child but that is a small part of the film.

For a film that basically just has one man talking to the camera for the majority of the time, this is incredibly powerful. It is an amazing, sad and moving story and I challenge anyone not to be moved by it. I watched it over a week ago and have only just decided to write a review to see if the film had lost any of its potency and nope it has not.

To say any more runs the risk of spoiling the story so I will demur, this is recommended to anyone who appreciates the uniqueness that real life can portray and who appreciate quality in their film making.

I have no patience for documentaries that aim to tug a variety of heart-strings and make it obvious from the first few frames. Nick Yarris's story is different, perhaps mostly because it's treated objectively by the film's director. Instead of an hour and a half of old morality play, we simply sit and listen to a guy tell his incredible tale. At no point does Yarrow pretend to be anyone other than himself; at no point does he ask us to see him differently. He just tells us what happened to him, the good and the terrible, and does not ask us to judge, convict, or even forgive.

It is for that reason that I found his story so compelling and emotionally evocative. It is, perhaps, a reminder that we all have amazing, emotional stories to tell and that we should all try to sit back and listen more often.

There are no words to express how deeply moving this documentary film is. I don't think there is an another actor or the like who could have told this story the way Nick Yarris tells it. He truly has a gift in this documentary that lures you deeper and deeper into the story. His expression of how some little things in life can change you and make you a better person and even stronger is spectacular. I truly hope that this documentary and Nick himself receives the recognition it so well deserves. I'll be watching this in the Academy Awards for best documentary category. I am an avid fan of true murder mystery documentaries and have watched countless over the years and I highly doubt that any other documentary will touch me how this one did. Nick Yarris is an incredibly strong man who is the hero in his own life.

Really awesome doc here, me and a friend watched this the other night and I was blown away. The narration and structure are phenomenal in this piece, a very close to heart tale and the context in which it all unravels is remarkable none the less. I'm so glad I watched this doc, which I wouldn't have expected could be so personally inspiring and motivating regarding how much knowledge is really garnered from reading. I mean, of course, I know reading is important and I do my share of knowledgeable reading each day. But, I'm simply referring to those that really read as a fun activity and not just because you have to read for the moment. I'd be lying to say I'm not guilty of that sometimes, but after viewing this doc, I'm extremely inspired to do way more. I understand my review is not as detailed, or as intricate, regarding the context of the overall film. However, I wanted to reflect and share on the personal inspiration I was able to take from it.