Strong Island: Will This Be Netflix’s Next Making A Murderer?

Ever since I watched The Jinx, I’ve become addicted to true crime documentaries. Of this genre, the one that always springs to mind is Making A Murderer. It captivated audiences, not just because it was a fascinating case, but because the series ensured it kept evolving off the screen. It started years back; Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line made the format go mainstream but it’s Netflix who really know how to break new ground when it comes giving controversial cases a fresh lease of life.

And their upcoming release has already wowed the critics. At the Sundance Film Festival, Strong Island?- set for release this September – received the Special Jury Award for Storytelling. Much more than your average ‘whodunit,’ Yance Ford’s powerful documentary examines the racially charged murder of the filmmaker’s brother and the injustice that came after. It follows the 1992 murder of William Jr. Ford – a 24-year-old black teacher from Long Island, New York who was killed by Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white mechanic. Yet in the series, we get to see how?William Ford Jr somehow managed to become a?prime suspect in his own murder.

To say much more would only spoil it – and be warned, there are a lot of spoilers online already – but it’s set to become one of the most powerful and captivating documentaries of the year. Expectations are high; a five-star review from The Guardian and 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (it’s been described as a “Masterpiece”) can only mean great things.

Watch the trailer below:

Strong Island is set to be released on Netflix?on September 15th.