The elevator pitch for Faking a Murderer – a serial killer mockumentary satire – brings with it more than the sense of the familiar. Yet director Stu Stone and writer Adam Rodness bring not only a gonzo spirit and energetic humour to the proceedings, but also an astute commentary on the public’s fascination with true crime and serial killers.
Stone and Rodness plays versions of themselves, filmmaker partners and brothers-in-law, who are keen to jump on the true crime bandwagon after they unearth a video featuring a drunken man confessing to an alleged murder. Convinced that he is a serial killer, Stu and Adam go searching for the man in hopes of cashing in their true-crime meal ticket.
Much in the way of twists and turns follow, spurred on by Stone and Rodness’s improvisation heavy approach to the material in which the majority of the crew, and indeed the audience, are kept in the dark as to what is real and what is fake.
