SOPHIE: A MURDER IN WEST CORK on Netflix is a true-crime docu-series in 3 parts. The murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier is a fascinating and terrifying case. It turns the world upside down in a small Irish town. Read our full Sophie: A Murder in West Cork review here!
SOPHIE: A MURDER IN WEST CORK is a new Netflix true-crime documentary series with just three episodes. Each has a runtime of around one hour and there is a lot to cover during this time.
The first episode covers the basics of who the murder victim, Sophie Toscan Du Plantier, was. Also, by the end of episode 1, a suspect is revealed and the remaining two episodes go on to cover the many twists and turns of this case.
Continue reading our Sophie: A Murder in West Cork docu-series review below and find all episodes on Netflix now.
Another solid true-crime documentary on Netflix
The murder of French documentary film producer, Sophie Toscan Du Plantier, is brutal and the investigation leads down many roads. Everyone in the small Irish town, where she had her holiday home and was murdered, is suddenly suspicious about one another.
Obviously, this is a huge blow to the tight-knit and very diverse community of West Cork. The murder happened in 1996, which means the outcasts and minorities living in the small seaside town were quite rare. One of the people interviewed is an out lesbian and she was amazed at how welcomed she was. This was a town that welcomed everyone.
And also, it was a town that had a few secrets that got in the way of witnesses speaking up. To begin with, anyway.
Suspicions and mistakes
Looking at the case in a different way is the French family of Sophie. In this Netflix docu-series, her son is interviewed. He’s an adult man now but was just a 15-year-old boy when his mother was found murdered days before Christmas.
Also, a cousin of Sophie’s is quite the character. She’s an older woman with jet-black hair who describes herself as “a woman who sometimes has premonitions”. Based on the facts covered in Sophie: A Murder in West Cork, her premonitions were a bit off this time. Especially when also looking at the court cases that have since been conducted.
Finally, there are the police officers and detectives. They look at the facts, but (as it’s often the case) mistakes are also made!
For me, what works really well is the fact that all these interviews are included to let us know how everyone saw the case. All while focusing on showing us, the viewers, the actual facts.
Watch Sophie: A Murder in West Cork on Netflix now!
The new Netflix true-crime documentary series is directed by John Dower. This is far from the first documentary by John Dower who has been directing documentaries for the past two decades. His previous projects include My Scientology Movie (2015) which featured Louis Theroux.
Back in 2006, he made the documentary I Don’t Like Mondays about 16-year-old Brenda Spencer’s school shooting of 1979. Most recently, he was behind the 2020 documentary The Mystery of D.B. Cooper about one of the greatest unsolved heists in American history.
John Dower clearly knows how to tell stories that are based on true crime cases. This latest Netflix addition is no exception and I found myself fascinated by this story. To be fair, I was not familiar with the murder case of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier. Watching this Netflix docu-series, I have no idea how I avoided hearing about it. Check it out for the honest and direct depiction of facts!
The entire Sophie: A Murder in West Cork docu-series is out on Netflix from June 30, 2021.
Plot
This true crime series is based on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a French woman found dead near her West Cork holiday home. The shocking murder sets off an increasingly convoluted quest for justice that spans decades and cuts across national borders.
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