'Tales of the Grim Sleeper' Telluride Review

'Tales of the Grim Sleeper': Telluride Review - The Hollywood Reporter 1/30/15, 6:25 PM

Follow Like 1m Subscribe Newsletters Daily PDF Log in

MOVIES TV MUSIC TECH THE BUSINESS STYLE CULTURE AWARDS VIDEO

LATEST NEWS REVIEWS INTERVIEWS & TRAILERS PHOTOS DAILIES

Advertisement 'Tales of the Grim Sleeper': Telluride Review 12:00 AM PDT 8/30/2014 by Stephen Dalton

6 30 0 1 0 Email Print Comments

The Bottom Line Venue Getting away with murder Telluride Film Festival Director Nick Broomfield

South Central Films Ltd. SUNDANCE: ON THE SCENE Brit director Nick Broomﬁeld's campaigning doc looks at the impact of class, race and poverty on a notorious serial killer case

A grisly multiple murder case opens up a broader inquisition into racial and social inequality in Tales of the Grim Sleeper, which premiers at Telluride today before screening in Toronto next week and the New York Film Festival early October. The idiosyncratic British documentary maker Nick Broomfield has a long track record of playfully critical films about high-profile figures, from Margaret Thatcher to Heidi Fleiss to Sarah Palin. But he also has a sideline making serious- minded investigations into crime and punishment in America, including two documentaries about SUNDANCE 2015 another serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. The provocative subject matter plus Broomfield's solid Sundance: Jason Sudeikis, Winona Ryder Pick reputation should ensure decent audience interest beyond the festival bubble. Their "Last Meals"

Nicknamed "the Grim Sleeper" by local media outlets due to an RECOMMENDED apparent 14-year hiatus between killing sprees, Lonnie Franklin Jr. is currently awaiting trial for a dozen murders, a Amal Clooney Gives list that may yet grow to a record-breaking 100 or more. His the Best Response About Her Workwear victims were overwhelmingly black women, usually crack addicts Style and prostitutes, mostly from the same inner-city L.A.

'Parenthood' Cast neighborhood where he lived. The first recorded murder Shares Their occurred in 1985, yet the LAPD were very slow to warn the public Favorite Memories From Six Seasons... about a serial killer on the loose, only breaking the news in 2008. The Scene at Sundance Film Festival 2015 Franklin was finally arrested in 2010 after undercover officers (Photos) This Is What Alexa Chung Likes to Wear surreptitious secured saliva samples from his son Chris on Dates Franklin in a restaurant, confirming a DNA link to the crimes.

In keeping with his signature style, Broomfield turns the film into a personal quest, appearing on camera himself as he calls on friends and neighbors of Franklin for interviews. Some are hostile, others helpful, others extremely revealing. One former drinking buddy jokes abut the "freaky shit" Franklin liked to do to with women: "You get in his car, you ain't coming out!" he jokes callously. Broomfield's most useful contact is Pam Brooks, a fearless and outspoken ex-addict and former prostitute, who becomes his chief fixer and Sundance: Kevin Bacon Reacts to 'Guardians of tour guide to South Central LA's mean streets. If this film has a star, it is Pam. the Galaxy's' Kevin Bacon Jokes

Tales of the Grim Sleeper could easily have been sensational and prurient, turning murder into pornographic entertainment. Broomfield is certainly not immune to moments of voyeurism, graphically detailing some of Franklin's sexualized violence and bluntly asking former victims "at what point did he rape you?" But his main focus is on the deeper social context of the killings: poverty, racism and a seeming lack of police concern about the deaths of poor black sex workers. A recurring point made by several interviewees is how much more urgently the case would have been solved if the victims had been rich and white.

Noting the tragic irony that ingrained distrust for the police in impoverished African-American Sundance: Kristen Wiig, Jack Black Reveal Who communities only makes it easier for black-on-black killers to evade capture, Broomfield lands some Should Score Soundtrack to Their Lives (Video) fairly easy blows against white privilege and racial injustice here. But he throws little fresh light on the Grim Sleeper case itself. The LAPD declines to comment and Lonnie Franklin only appears in MUST READS courtroom footage, while his son Chris gives Broomfield a grudging, unrepentant, depressingly defiant interview: "What would he apologize for?"

Shot in mostly hand-held verite style by the director's cinematographer son Barney Broomfield, Tales of the Grim Sleeper is unusually somber and conventional by Broomfield's standards, relying more on slow accumulation of detail than caustic commentary or ambush interviews. But it has a quiet emotional force which pays off during the powerful final sequence, a collage of interviews with women who narrowly escaped Franklin's clutches. They are angry, tearful and impressively honest. But most just appear shocked that, for possibly the first time ever, somebody is taking an interest in their stories. New All-Female 'Ghostbusters' Cast Chosen

Production company: South Central Films Ltd Starring: Nick Broomfield, Pam Brooks, Enietra Washington, Chris Franklin Director: Nick Broomfield Producer: Marc Hoeferlin Cinematographer: Barney Broomfield Editors: Marc Hoeferlin, Joe Bini Music: H Scott Salinas Sales company: Submarine Entertainment Rating 18A, 105 minutes

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SARAH PALIN NICK BROOMFIELD

TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

6 30 0 1 0 Email Print Comments

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Oscars: 'The Imitation Game' Finally Plays the Gay Card

The Motley Fool The Motley Fool The Motley Fool Joyus.com Forget The iPhone 6. Please Don't Retire After Buffett's Empire Is In This Is Coolest Lipstick Next Hit Apple Product 62. Here's Why Danger ...And He Knows We've Seen In Years! Revealed It

Julianne Moore Believes in Therapy, Not God (And Definitely Gun Control)

The Motley Fool PressRoomVIP PressRoomVIP.com PressRoomVIP 3 Companies Putting Big Celebs You Didn’t Know Most Beautiful Celebrity Celebs You Didn’t Know Cable Out Of Business Are Black Daughters Were Asian

Ads by Gravity THR'S DAILY MUST FEEDS

Reporter Compliments Rashida Jones for Her "Tan," 3 Companies Putting Big Cable Out Of Business Actress Responds, "I'm Ethnic" The Motley Fool

Broadway Star Joel Grey Comes Out: "If You Have to How To Wear A Crop Top In Every Life Situation Put a Label on It, I'm a Gay Man" Jeunesse Chic

Amal Clooney Gives the Best Response About Her This Is Coolest Lipstick We've Seen In Years! Workwear Style Joyus.com

'Star Wars' Actor Hospitalized Celebs You Didn’t Know Are Black PressRoomVIP 'Parenthood' Cast Shares Their Favorite Memories 12 Celebs Who Came Out Of The Closet From Six Seasons of Love, Heartbreak WPLOL

by Gravity

Advertisement Larry Wilmore Reveals Roots of Bill Cosby Dislike: "Man, What an Asshole"

How DreamWorks Animation Can Claw Its Way Back

The Making of 'American Sniper': How an Unlikely Friendship Kickstarted the Clint Eastwood Film

Cracking the Code: How Two Out-of-Work Producers Brought 'Imitation Game' to the Screen

Red Carpet Face-Off: Vote for the Hottest Dude This Awards Season

THR's Oscars Ballot 2015: Vote Now and Share Your Picks