Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be crystal clear: this is not on Screenwise because we think your kids should watch it. It's here because you might be watching it, and you need to know it's absolutely not something that should be on when kids are around.

Making A Murderer is compelling, infuriating, and thought-provoking documentary filmmaking—for adults. It's the kind of show that launched a thousand dinner party debates about justice and corruption. But it's also a real murder case involving real victims and real suffering. The details are disturbing, the emotional weight is crushing, and the cynicism about institutions can be genuinely destabilizing for young people still forming their worldview.

If you have a college-bound 18-year-old interested in criminal justice or documentary filmmaking, sure, watch it together and talk through the ethical complexities. But for everyone else? This is your late-night, kids-are-definitely-asleep viewing. The true-crime genre has value, but let's not pretend a decade-long investigation into murder and wrongful conviction is family movie night material.

Age Fit

This is adult content, period. Maybe—maybe—a very mature 17-year-old in an AP Government class studying criminal justice, but honestly, this is best saved for college-age and older. It's not about sheltering; it's about not traumatizing kids with real murder cases.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

25

This is a true-crime documentary exploring wrongful conviction, police corruption, and a murder investigation. The subject matter is inherently dark, dealing with real suffering, legal injustice, and a grisly crime. While it doesn't glorify violence, the emotional tone is heavy, cynical about institutions, and deeply unsettling—not modeling kindness or cooperation but rather exposing systemic failures and human darkness.

Imaginative

35

As a documentary, it presents a real-world legal mystery that invites critical thinking about evidence, justice systems, and media narratives. However, it's investigative rather than creative or exploratory in the WISE sense—viewers consume rather than build or express. The 10-year filming commitment shows ambition, but the format is passive viewing of a tragic story, not imagination-sparking content.

Safe

15

This is definitively unsafe for children. It involves a murder case with disturbing details, graphic crime scene discussions, descriptions of violence against a victim, and deeply upsetting themes of wrongful imprisonment and institutional betrayal. The emotional weight is intense even for adults. While not gratuitously violent on-screen, the subject matter includes death, crime, and trauma—exactly the 'trigger warning content' and 'surprise violence/death' that would be inappropriate for young viewers to encounter unexpectedly.

Enriching

70

For mature audiences (late teens and adults), this is highly enriching. It provokes critical thinking about criminal justice, media bias, presumption of innocence, and systemic corruption. The documentary format encourages viewers to weigh evidence, question authority, and grapple with ethical complexity. It sparked national conversations about legal reform. However, the enrichment value is entirely contingent on emotional maturity—for younger viewers, it would be traumatizing rather than educational.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Sparks critical thinking about criminal justice, evidence evaluation, and systemic bias—essential media literacy for older teens/adults
Raises important questions about presumption of innocence and how media shapes public opinion
Can launch meaningful family discussions about fairness, institutions, and how to think critically about 'true crime' narratives
Well-crafted documentary that became a cultural phenomenon, demonstrating the power of investigative storytelling

⚠

What to Watch For

This is NOT family viewing—murder details, crime scene discussions, and deeply disturbing themes throughout
Emotionally heavy even for adults; deals with real human suffering, wrongful imprisonment, and institutional failure
True-crime genre can be addictive and desensitizing—consider whether binge-watching tragedy is healthy
The documentary has a clear perspective that may influence viewers' judgment about a real, unresolved case
Absolutely inappropriate for anyone under 17; even mature high schoolers may find it traumatizing

Conversation Starters

"How do you think documentaries shape our opinions about real people and cases? What responsibility do filmmakers have?"
"What does 'innocent until proven guilty' really mean when media coverage is so intense?"
"How would you evaluate evidence if you were on a jury? What would make you certain enough to convict someone?"
"This case sparked debates about legal reform—what changes do you think would make the justice system fairer?"

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