The Crash
★★★
My daughter convinced me to watch The Crash, the Netflix true crime documentary that apparently all her friends have been talking about. To be honest, I'm starting to feel a little burned out on the true crime genre. There are only so many documentaries about tragedies, crimes and unanswered questions a person can watch before they start blending together.
That said, these documentaries have an almost irresistible quality to them. Even when you think you're not interested, they have a way of pulling you in.
The Crash centers on a horrific car wreck that occurred in the early morning hours after high school graduation. Mackenzie, a graduating senior, was driving her car with her boyfriend in the front seat and a close friend in the back. Around 5:30 a.m., the car crashed, killing both young men. Mackenzie survived.
The central question driving the documentary is whether this was simply a tragic accident or something more.
As a piece of filmmaking, The Crash is very well done. The documentary features interviews with friends, family members, attorneys and others connected to the case. It assembles an impressive collection of voices and perspectives, so much so that even the prosecutor notes that the filmmakers were able to get more information from one of Mackenzie's friends than he was ever able to obtain himself. Having the resources and reach of a Netflix production certainly didn't hurt.
The storytelling is concise and effective. Even though some uncertainty remains, the documentary provides more closure than many true crime projects manage to deliver. As with most stories like this, the less you know going in, the better.
What I found myself wanting, however, was a deeper exploration of Mackenzie herself.
Without spoiling too much, the documentary presents a young woman who is likely to frustrate many viewers, particularly older generations. She appears entitled, heavily invested in social media, openly rebellious and, at times, cruel toward others. The film touches on these qualities, but I think there was an opportunity to go deeper.
Maybe this is the parent in me talking, but I kept wondering about the environment that shaped her. The documentary spends a great deal of time examining the crash itself, yet I found myself more interested in the world that existed before the crash. What influences helped create the mindset we see on display? What messages did she receive from the people around her? What systems of accountability, or lack thereof, were in place?
I don't ask those questions to excuse anyone's behavior. Rather, I think understanding those factors could have added another layer to the story. By the end, I felt like there was more to explore regarding the nature-versus-nurture aspects of who Mackenzie became and how that may have contributed to the events that unfolded.
The documentary's biggest challenge may simply be that many of the people involved are difficult to spend time with. That's not a criticism of the filmmaking. If anything, it speaks to how authentically the story is presented. But it does leave the viewer with an uneasy feeling. There is a pervasive sense of immaturity, poor decision-making and casual recklessness that hangs over the entire film.
As a result, The Crash can be a difficult watch. It leaves you feeling unsettled long after it's over.
Still, for fans of true-crime and documentary filmmaking, there's a lot here to appreciate. The film avoids many of the genre's more sensational tropes and instead focuses on presenting the facts, perspectives and lingering questions surrounding a devastating event.
I found it compelling, well-made and thought-provoking, even if it reinforced my growing desire to take a short break from true crime documentaries for a while.
