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A Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy

2020 57m Documentary List
83% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
When two women drove their six adopted children off a cliff in Northern California, their friends and families were left with not only the loss of what they thought was an almost perfect family filled with love and light, they were left without the ability to make sense out of the tragedy, when attacks on social media began to pour in from all angles almost immediately. The tragedy galvanized their entire community, at first in their defense, because the family seemed so committed to truth and social justice, but as the facts on the women regarding the adoptions and the condition of the children began to come out, it became harder to defend their friends. A thorough investigation and public inquest revealed unfathomable details that were hidden behind the closed doors of the Hart's family home. This is a story of truth and perceptions; involving adoption and interstate oversight and leaves us all with questions about addressing mental health while also wondering how to hang on to humanity and compassion through today's rapid paced social and mainstream media onslaught.

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Carla Hay Culture Mix A Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy ... doesn't really uncover anything new or insightful into how the system failed these children ... [The movie] gives almost most no information about [Jennifer and Sarah Hart's] backgrounds. Jul 16, 2020 Full Review Norman Gidney HorrorBuzz "A documentary that answers little but teaches a great deal about compassion and looking beyond the surface." Rated: 6 Apr 19, 2020 Full Review Heidi Sharpley Battle Royale With Cheese Markis (19), Hannah (16), Devonte (15), Jeremiah (14), Abigail (14), and Sierra (12) deserved so much more than what the broken system delivered. Apr 13, 2020 Full Review Bobby LePire Film Threat While the movie is not much more than a talking head interview after talking head interview interspersed with photos, and a few videos, of the family, it is spellbinding. Rated: 9/10 Apr 11, 2020 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film This film is only an hour long and there are several areas where it might have benefited from going into more depth, but it achieves the key task of striking a balance pretty well. Rated: 3/5 Apr 10, 2020 Full Review Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Analyzes the tragedy in a sensitive and balanced fashion, employing a wide array of archival material and extensive interviews. Rated: B Apr 9, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (2) audience reviews
Paige V this movie contained almost no information about the tragedies of the death of the six children and focussed almost exclusively on why we should feel bad for their abusers. instead of information about the children's experiences under Jenn and Sarah's care it was interviews of friends and family, who all but unconditionally supported the women. It was not insightful. It was not informative. It was disrespectful and deeply hard to watch. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/15/23 Full Review Adele M I don't normally write reviews but felt compelled to in this case. I couldn't finish this - the narrative structure, editing, music and even audio quality were so bad. I am familiar with the podcast and there's an important and nuanced story here so it's a shame this wasn't better. I think there's another doco made by Discovery but unfortunately it seems harder to find. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy

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Movie Info

Synopsis When two women drove their six adopted children off a cliff in Northern California, their friends and families were left with not only the loss of what they thought was an almost perfect family filled with love and light, they were left without the ability to make sense out of the tragedy, when attacks on social media began to pour in from all angles almost immediately. The tragedy galvanized their entire community, at first in their defense, because the family seemed so committed to truth and social justice, but as the facts on the women regarding the adoptions and the condition of the children began to come out, it became harder to defend their friends. A thorough investigation and public inquest revealed unfathomable details that were hidden behind the closed doors of the Hart's family home. This is a story of truth and perceptions; involving adoption and interstate oversight and leaves us all with questions about addressing mental health while also wondering how to hang on to humanity and compassion through today's rapid paced social and mainstream media onslaught.
Producer
Chris Kobin, Rachel Morgan
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 7, 2020
Runtime
57m