It seems like we can’t go more than a week before another chart-climbing true crime documentary hits Netflix.
This time, the project in question is a movie rather than a documentary series. It was also briefly the No. 1 on Netflix’s streaming charts.
The Carman Family Deaths has far exceeded all expectations, and that’s why Watch With Us is inviting fans to watch it for themselves.
Some viewers like to play detective when watching documentaries like this, but this time, you really will have to decipher the clues by yourself.
Is ‘The Carman Family Deaths’ Based on a True Story?
Yes. In fact, the case was big news in the United States in 2016, when Nathan Carman was found adrift at sea in a lifeboat after he and his mother, Linda Carman, went missing. Nathan’s survival was heralded as a miracle, but six years later, police arrested him and filed murder charges against him for the death of his mother.
Linda’s demise was only the second death of this story. In 2013, Nathan’s very wealthy grandfather, John Chakalos, was shot and killed during a home invasion. Police contend that Nathan was behind both murders, but the case isn’t strictly open and shut. And if the trail had gone forward, Nathan could have potentially been found not guilty because of reasonable doubt.
‘The Carman Family Deaths’ Invites Viewers to Pick Sides
Although the documentary seems to be more slanted towards the likelihood that Nathan murdered his mother and grandfather, it also presents details that may say otherwise. Nathan’s father, Clark Carman, is adamant that his son didn’t kill anyone. He and Nathan’s defense attorneys contend that Nathan’s fragile mental health and his autism threw off police, who didn’t understand why he seemed so detached from his emotions.
Having said that, the police interviewed for this documentary are equally passionate about their conviction that Nathan did murder his family members. The only ones who believe that more than the cops are Nathan’s maternal family, all of whom seem to blame him for murdering his mother and grandfather.
It Has a Tragic Mystery That’s Impossible To Solve
If you’re looking for answers from this documentary, you won’t get any. There’s no one left who really knows for sure what happened because Nathan killed himself while imprisoned and awaiting his murder trial. He maintained his innocence throughout the years.
The documentary points out that Nathan didn’t cooperate with authorities during the investigation, which only made them more suspicious about him. Some of the evidence collected by police may have proven that he had an alibi for the approximate murder of his grandfather. Reasonable doubt could have been Nathan’s best weapon during a trial, but his suicide left more questions than answers.
‘The Carman Family Deaths’ Isn’t Overstuffed or Padded
Several Netflix documentaries give in to temptation and draw out their docuseries for as many episodes as possible. The Carman Family Deaths avoids that by wrapping everything up into a single movie. It’s refreshing that the team behind this movie must have realized that there was no point in prolonging the resolution. As a result, the film zips along, and it’s a good binge-watch for true crime lovers.
The short runtime also plays a role in making this movie work. It gets to the point relatively quickly, and the interviews are engrossing, particularly with Caroline’s family members. They’re so convinced of his guilt that the passion of their convictions is apparent every moment they’re on-screen. Whether you believe them or not is entirely your call.
The Carman Family Deaths is streaming on Netflix.
