Your Guide To Becoming A Docuphile: Life With Murder

I never thought I'd be the person who tells people "I mostly watch documentaries," but with more accessibility to said genre, I'm hooked. Consider it some of the best reality shows ever. The ones that engage me the most are profiles of unique people; the more eccentric the better. Each week, I'll bring you brief reviews of my recommendations to watch. Consider it a primer to be becoming a docuphile. I encourage you to leave your favorite documentaries in the comments or tweet at me at @robinhardwick.

What: Life With Murder (2009)

Who: Mason Jenkins, serving a twenty-year prison sentence for murdering his seventeen-year old sister in their home, and his parents.

Why it makes a good story: If you knew your son murdered your daughter, could you still love him? Would you even visit him in prison? The Jenkins family is either the most loving parents ever, or in the most denial. When their seventeen-year-old daughter was shot in their suburban home, son Mason claimed there were intruders that shot her. He was eventually arrested and sentenced for her murder, yet his parents still believe him. Over the course of his twenty-year sentence, he eventually admits his guilt, yet his parents still visit him in prison and cook him dinner and play checkers with him. I wanted to reach in the screen and shake the parents, but it just seemed easier to live in their world where their kids are good kids.

Bonus: It's on Netflix Streaming.