talhotblond

A middle-aged man engages in an obsessive affair with an 18 year old girl via the internet, in the persona of a young marine stationed overseas. As the story unfolds, we discover that neither of them is what they claim to be, and the affair eventually culminates in the cold-blooded murder of a young man who comes between them. Oh, and it's a documentary.

This particular crime is chillingly easy to unravel, as all parties involved had nearly all their interactions logged on their computers. The documentary unfolds the story as a narrative, replaying key conversations verbatim.

Aside from some detailed interviews, the film also uses fictional narration by the dead man, and running commentary and analysis by a psychiatrist who has nothing to do with the case itself, but who is incredibly witty and entertaining while setting the context of the players' actions.

It's a tragic story, and there's nothing to like in any of the people shown here, but the flow of the whole thing is gripping.