Foot : Crime After Crime Film Review

1. Personal Issues
What struck me the most was the constant need for hope. Throughout the whole movie, Debbie never lost hope that she would be released. I think it was such a strong emotion because it was real. This wasn’t a movie with actors pretending to play a role. These were real people with real emotions. I think other viewers can generalize with this response because everyone has experienced hope before. As an audience, it is easy to identify emotions we are familiar with.
2. Technique
I think this film was technically strong. The dialogue and the editing made this film very strong. The dialogue could have been very hard to follow if not for the editing. This film was based almost solely on interviews.
3. Acting
The principles roles in the movie were Debbie Peagler and her two lawyers: Nadia Costa and Joshua Safran. This movie was a documentary so the roles in the story were very realistic. The actors were extremely realistic because they weren’t acting. They were living their own lives.
4. Plot
The main idea of the film is centered on a woman named Debbie Peagler who has been wrongly incarcerated for 28 years. She was convicted of murder even though she was not the one who killed her then boyfriend Oliver. Debbie led Oliver to an area where local gang members were waiting to beat him up. Debbie took him to that area because she wanted him to leave her and her daughter alone. He was prostituting her out, beating her, threatening her life, and sexually abusing her daughter. After being bullied by the D.A.’s office, Debbie plead guilty to murder and she was sentenced 25 years to life in prison. The story follows Debbie’s attempt to be released from jail after two pro bono lawyers take on her case after a new California law allows cases to be reopened if the criminal is a victim of domestic violence. The story follows tremendous ups and downs through Debbie’s case until she is released from jail, shortly before her death.
5. Themes
I think the main idea in this story is to keep hoping. I think the main issues in this film talked about victims of domestic violence and those who have been wrongfully incarcerated. I don’t think the messages are distracting to the plot. I think the main idea and main issues are what makes this film so spectacular.
6. Genre
I would classify this film as a documentary. I think people think this genre because they know that it is real. It’s not a made up story.
7. Representation
This film does represent different groups of people. Debbie is a black, poor woman who is incarcerated. One of her lawyers is a woman, who comes from an affluent community and has experienced abuse as a child. The other lawyer is a male, who is Jewish. The film didn’t choose to characterize them in this way, it’s just who these people are.
8. Ideology
After watching this film, I had a stronger distrust for those who work in the criminal justice system. I saw how strongly they fought so they wouldn’t have to admit their mistakes. I also thought that there could be more people wrongly incarcerated just like Debbie. My beliefs were changed just by looking at all of the information presented throughout the film.