In 1993 three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered, their mutilated bodies left in the woods of West Memphis, Arkansas. Desperate to identify the perpetrator(s), the police arrest Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, accusing the three teenagers of committing the crime as part of a satanic ritual. The case rests on Misskelley’s confession—which he insists was coerced—that he witnessed Echols and Baldwin kill the children. But before they even reach the courtroom, the teenagers are convicted by their community—their clothes, taste in music, and interest in cults taken as confirmation of their capacity to commit the crime. By speaking with family members on both sides of the case, Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger present a powerful spectrum of the anger, grief, and despair for all involved, and their interviews with law enforcement officers and attorneys reveal biases and a rush to judgment, as well as missteps. Featuring music by Metallica, this potent document is the first film in a groundbreaking trilogy that follows the West Memphis Three over a period of 18 years.  ST

Q&A following screening