Netflix, on April 29, released another one of its ‘true crime documentary’ – Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story.
“After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to prison, questions about her past, physiology, and the law itself call her guilt into question.” – Reads the official Netflix bio. Netflix with its harrowing true crime documentaries like- Abducted in plain sight, Icarus, Strong Island, etc, has gathered a lot of pop culture-oriented audiences and the story of Cyntoia Brown follows that tradition. Although, the critical response to the documentary hasn’t been up to mark, who cares when you are concerned more about the story and less about how its filmed (after all, what is entertainment but Propaganda, right?).
What’s the real story behind the documentary?
Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life imprisonment after she was found guilty of murdering Johnny Michael Allen.
Cyntoia, then 16, had accused the deceased Allen of trying to kill her in her sleep and argued that she shot her in self-defense. Prosecutors argued that she wanted to rob Allen and murdered him when she found the chance. Cyntoia was offered $150 for sex with Allen and she agreed and took the money. After the night was spent, Allen was found dead with a bullet wound. In 2017, the case resurfaced, and when celebrities like Rihanna took charge and pointed out that Cyntoia shouldn’t be imprisoned for life because she was a minor when the murder happened. In the wake of the movement, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam commuted her sentence to 15 years, and she was released on August 7, 2019.
What’s the Controversy around the Documentary?
Dan Birman created another documentary on Cyntoia Brown when she was imprisoned, it featured original scenes from her life and her story, but the documentary wasn’t released to its full potential. Now, Dan Birman tries again to tell that story from his perspective and Netflix’s medium. On April 15, Cyntoia took to twitter and said that she had been cheated, some producer is trying to sensationalize her story for personal gains, and to tell her story, she would use the visual medium herself. She has also written her memoir called ‘Free Cyntoia: My search for redemption in the American Prison System’.