Casting JonBenet is a 2017 American documentary film about the death of JonBenét Ramsey and the large impact it left behind. The film was directed by Kitty Green.
| Casting JonBenet | |
|---|---|
Netflix release poster | |
| Directed by | Kitty Green |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Michael Latham |
| Edited by | Davis Coombe |
| Music by | Nathan Larson |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 80 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editCasting JonBenet documents the casting process for the re-enactments in the documentary. Various Colorado-area actors are interviewed and tested for the roles of real people involved in the case, including John and Patsy Ramsey, Burke Ramsey, John Mark Karr and Boulder police officials. During the process, the would-be actors, dressed as the individuals they are auditioning for, reveal their emotions about the case and offer their own speculations. Rather than documenting the crime, the film observes how the events have become a point of pop-cultural obsession and conspiracy.
Release
editThe film premiered in January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival.[2] Netflix gained the rights to distribute Casting JonBenet, and began streaming it on April 28, 2017.[3][4]
Reception
editCasting JonBenet received positive reviews upon release.[5] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81%, based on 47 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Casting JonBenét's unorthodox approach to its genre sets it apart in a crowded field, making for a uniquely thought-provoking true crime documentary hybrid."[6] On Metacritic, it holds a rating of 74 out of 100, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
References
edit- ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 22, 2017). "'City of Ghosts': Film Review | Sundance 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Casting JonBenet". Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (January 4, 2017). "Netflix to Stream 'Casting JonBenet' Documentary". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Barsanti, Sam (February 8, 2017). "Netflix's Casting JonBenét gets a premiere date and a teaser". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (January 23, 2017). "'Casting JonBenet': Sundance Review". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ "Casting JonBenét (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ "Casting JonBenet Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
Further reading
edit- Francis, Marc; Hussein, Linnéa (2017). "Off the Record: Reenactment and Intimacy in Casting JonBenet". Film Quarterly. 71 (1): 32–41. doi:10.1525/fq.2017.71.1.32. JSTOR 26413833.