American Murder: The Family Next Door

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1:54

American Murder: The Family Next Door

2020

Crime

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Critics Consensus

American Murder: The Family Next Door chillingly unravels a brutal true crime story using the near-constant connectedness of the digital era.

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Linda Marric

NME (New Musical Express)

Popplewell has done a great job of highlighting how deceptive we can all be when crafting our digital profiles.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

American Murder lays out its saga clearly and poignantly...

Oct 7, 2020

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Aja Romano

Vox

Crucially, the documentary doesn't concern itself with digging deeper into Chris Watts's persona, with mythologizing him or probing for underlying motives in his behavior.

Oct 7, 2020

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Akos Peterbencze

Vulnerable Man (Medium)

The film tightly focuses on the narrative of telling a young woman’s tragic story without being sensational.

Jul 20, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

The film tells the entire story through social media videos, text messages, phone call audio, original television newscasts, police body cameras and security camera footage. No narrator, no interviews, no dramatizations.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

as much a portrait of how incredibly well documented our lives are in the digital age as it is a true crime story about familial murder and failed cover-up

Rated: 3/4

Oct 16, 2020

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Rizwan A

This documentary is extremely entertaining whilst also being shocking, mysterious and suspenseful. It shows a story of a family who seem quite happy on social media but as the detectives go through the hidden facts and details the true horrific tale is unfolded. As you see the confessions, in tension filled rooms, it truly puts the mind of a murderer into perspective. The way they start with made up stories and lies, then end with a true confession as they crumble under the intense amount of pressure, is really interesting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/24

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David H

As the father of three daughters myself this movie tells the story of the most profoundly unthinkable things I could ever imagine

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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David F

This is a great, up-to-the-minute true crime documentary about a family annihilator who killed his wife and two children, briefly lied about it, then finally gave what would appear to be a nearly full confession. The narration is 100 percent told through police documentation and evidence consisting of letters, texts, and social media posts. It presents a portrait of a deteriorating marriage followed by a disappearance followed by a confession. Getting to know these people through their texts and videos is eerie and riveting. This is a fascinating film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/23

Full Review

Elyzabeth G

Absolutely wonderfully made documentary that made you feel the tragedy of the murder with footage of the family. The style of the documentary with the footage makes the story feel much more real and personal. Would 100% recommend, but it is quite intense.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/01/23

Full Review

BGES Group

Loved the movie! Thought it was great!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/22

Full Review

jacob c

A solid documentary that outlines how different our social media lives can be from what they are really like.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jenny Popplewell

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American Murder: The Family Next Door: Clip - The Letter

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American Murder: The Family Next Door: Trailer 1

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Director: Jenny Popplewell
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2020