The true crime genre has been around for a while, but it has recently undergone a facelift and emerged with a new sheen that only scratches the surface of its grim and gruesome underbelly. It has now become a legitimate phenomenon, as popular and ubiquitous as dramas or comedies, transcending medium and manifesting in documentaries, television series, and podcasts alike. Because of the insatiable appetite for macabre details, new entries into the genre continually surface.
Citizen Sleuth dives into the oversaturation of true crime
However, the downsides of the oversaturation of true crime are laid bare in Citizen Sleuth, a new documentary that premiered at SXSW. The film offers a rare glimpse into the life of an amateur true-crime podcaster named Emily Nestor, who started the podcast Mile Marker 181, investigating the 2011 death of Jaleayah Davis, who died in a tragic car crash on the border of Emily’s home state of West Virginia. Although the incident was ruled as an accident, Jaleayah’s death remained a subject of local lore for over a decade, with her family suspecting foul play.
Motivated by her love of true-crime content and interest in Jaleayah’s death, Emily sets up her podcast and turns her home into a mini recording studio, pinning the grim details of the night of Jaleayah’s death to her walls. Citizen Sleuth documents Emily’s search for answers firsthand, with her recreating even the smallest details of the accident and speaking to law enforcement personnel involved in investigating the accident.
Citizen Sleuth is gripping and funny
The resulting story is a gripping and darkly funny tale of what can happen when novice investigators insert themselves into closed cases for the sake of creating content. As Emily attempts to walk the fine line between exploitation and entertainment, her motivations come under question, and she discovers more about the case than she ever expected. The resulting chaos serves as a cautionary tale to both true-crime podcasters and their loyalists, unlike anything the genre has seen before.
The documentary starts by presenting the players and laying out the details of Jaleayah’s death in gruesome detail, similar to any of the viewer’s favorite true-crime documentaries. As the viewers learn more about the late Jaleayah, they get to know Emily as well. Emily was born and raised in West Virginia, feeling like an outcast her entire life. From a young age, she was obsessed with Silence of the Lambs and fancied herself as a proto-Clarice Starling, who shared her West Virginian roots. Although she has a genuine interest in Jaleayah’s case, it becomes clear that Emily is equally desperate for a connection to something bigger, outside of her rural upbringing. She wants to become more and be known for more.
Mile Marker 181 seen as a ticket to something bigger
The documentary has more in common with a Christopher Guest mockumentary than a true-crime documentary, to director Chris Kasick’s credit. As Emily gets inked with a dagger-stabbed heart that says “TRUE CRIME” and attends CrimeCon, an annual gathering of the biggest personalities in the true crime sphere, viewers cannot help but wonder why someone with no training would take Emily seriously.
However, Emily prides herself on her rookie status, believing that it makes her a better detective. She sees “Mile Marker 181” as her ticket to something bigger than herself. Ironically, the podcast grows into something more potent than she can handle, and when Emily starts to consult professionals halfway through the film, her podcast spirals out of control.
As Emily loses control of her podcast, Citizen Sleuth maintains a sharply critical lens on both its subject and the genre it’s interrogating. The morality and ethics behind true crime, and specifically true-crime podcasts, have never been quite so astutely examined. The documentary probes the drawbacks of turning a hobby into a job,
If you enjoy our writing, please consider leaving a small donation. Your support helps keep the lights on and allows us to hire more writers and grow our site.
