Review – An American Crime

John Waters once expressed a desire to make a movie out of Gertrude Baniszewski’s murder of Sylvia Likens. They should have let him take a stab at it. At his worst, he’s still way better than this turned out to be. When making a true crime movie, care should be taken not to stray too far from the established record, and the nature of this particular crime demands even closer attention to detail. Yet much of this picture seems profoundly inauthentic. I was particularly disappointed by Catherine Keener’s portrayal of the killer. Despite her talent and range, she plays Gertie like an emotionless automaton too gooned on cough syrup to muster the level of savagery inflicted on Sylvia. Further, an apparent squeamishness about portraying violence causes the victim to disappear partially or entirely from the scenes portraying the crimes themselves. Those with an actual interest in the murder and the patience to read a book should turn to Kate Millet’s The Basement and give the movie version a miss. See if desperate