The Witness (2015)

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Shocking, heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring, "The Witness" explores the secrets behind Kitty Genovese's famous murder case which provokes questions about the truth of journalism and what really happened on the night of March 13th, 1964. Prior to watching this documentary, the only exposure I had to this case was though a high school English teacher who had used it as an example of the bystander effect and nothing more. The popular opinion was that the residents of Queens were apathetic and heartless; I had accepted the original New York Times article as fact and gone on without another thought on the matter. The numerous layers behind the case and the people involved shows that even though a story may seem black and white, there is always more to be discovered.

The documentary is narrated by Bill Genovese as he searches for answers about the murder of his sister Kitty Genovese. Kitty was killed in the night of March 13, 1964 and the truth about her murder has been the subject of many theories as to what really happened that night, and in 2015, Bill decided to get answers of his own. When it comes to filming, the camera would follow Bill's journey, with cameras in place, catching his interactions and his facial expressions and reactions. Being a documentary that is more of a personal subject, it took a serious, realistic, and used music to add an emotional touch. Bill's interviews with the different witnesses was interesting as it shows each persons different perspective or accounts and adds accuracy to the content of the documentary. The part of the documentary that was most interesting was the reenactment of Kitty's murder as it not only gave Bill an understanding of what she went through but also puts him in the position of the witnesses himself and allows him to form his own beliefs to what may have occurred. This part also gave viewers a personal perspective on what Kitty went through and puts them in the position of the witnesses. This gives viewers a chance to form their own opinions without bias. A surprising part of the interview was when Bill met with Steve and the conversation they had as it shows how each viewed the case and how they live up to their legacy. The documentary could've shown more details of the interviews to show all the actions that occurred between Bill and each individual and show more of their personalities. Overall this documentary was well done, something that would be recommended for the curious minded of one of the most compelling cases in the world.

In the documentary The Witness, Bill Genovese searches for the truth behind the sensationalized story of his sister's death through the use of illustrations recreating the crime scene, old images and videos, and a present day interviews. In addition to Bill Genovese's commitment to discovering the true events of the night of his sister's death, The Witness provides a unique view into the lasting emotional effects of Kitty's death on her family and friends, which other presentations of the case lack. It was interesting to see the current effects of the event that occurred 50 years ago. However, the a lot of facts that provided the basis for Bill Genovese's case were obtained for interviews from the people involved 50 years ago. It is hard to determine how accurate the small details that he relies on from these conversations when the events happened so long ago.

This film, "The Witness," is directed towards an audience that enjoys crime mysteries and documentaries of this sort. This documentary itself was intended to educate people about the murder of Kitty Genovese and her brother's hope to find out what exactly happened that night. Before viewing the documentary I had some background knowledge of the case and was expecting this to be a look into the murder similar to what a "Cold Case Files," would do with the case. This was filmed to give the story of what her brother went through trying to solve the mystery as to why no one called the police during Kitty's attack. This was a much more interesting take on the case than the articles I've read about the case and I would recommend this documentary to anyone interested in the case or murder cases in general.