The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane – Movie Review (4/5)

THE LIE: THE MURDER OF GRACE MILLANE is a new true-crime documentary from New Zealand and the UK. It is amazing in the way this case is covered. Read our full The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane documentary review here!

THE LIE: THE MURDER OF GRACE MILLANE is a true-crime documentary made entirely by showing us facts and interviews used for the trial. Grace Millane was a 21-year-old British backpacker who was murdered during her solo holiday in New Zealand.

This documentary explores how the case was solved and when it went to trial. Watching it will undoubtedly make you angry. It certainly should make you angry. However, and this may be a minor spoiler – but we are dealing with a true story, so you could look up the case – it does end with a conviction.

Continue reading our The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane documentary review below. Find it in theaters and On Demand from March 29, 2024.

Witness the investigation and trial

In The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane, we see the investigation and trial, but never simply watch an interview made for this documentary. Instead, the documentary allows us to see how the investigation happened.

We see the CCTV as the police detectives in New Zealand manage to find Grace Millane, and we follow her through the city during the final few hours of her life. This also means they see who she was with.

She was with a man, who we then see interviewed at the police station. There, he comes up with one explanation and then days later, he offers a very different one. Seeing him squirm during that first interview with the police detective was tense and also quite amazing.

The detective made the suspect (which he was at this point due to the CCTV footage discovered) do all the talking, as CCTV could prove his lies on the spot.

Not all men – just any man!

As the trial begins, we get to see a lot more of the CCTV footage used to solve the crime and used as evidence in the trial. We also see the murder scene light up under UV light. Everything we see tends to be in jarring contrast to what the perpetrator’s defense lawyers are claiming.

What they are claiming is essentially (and I do wish I was exaggerating) that he was only doing what she asked. There is also a lot of victim-blaming going on. To an extreme degree, I would say.

It’s the good old suggestion that no woman should ever go with any man or be in any situation with any man that could potentially be dangerous in any way. Never mind the fact that most women are killed by someone they know and not a random date.

All of this makes no sense when the same people are screaming “Not all men!” whenever a woman dares comment she’s weary of men. However, any woman is still to be blamed when she’s the victim of the malicious actions of any man. Then she should’ve somehow known that this particular man was one of the bad ones.

Can you tell I’m angry after watching The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane? Good! Because I am and anyone (of any gender) should be as well.

Watch The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane in theaters or On Demand

The true crime documentary The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane was directed by Helena Coan. I love the decision to strictly use police interviews, CCTV footage, crime scene photos, text messages, and trial footage for this documentary. We do also hear some interviews but always while looking at facts.

This reminded me of the Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door which I absolutely adored as well. I don’t need anyone’s opinion or hindsight opinion of what took place.

I would much rather just see the facts on camera and hear the lies directly from the perpetrator. Lies that are contradicted by what my eyes see!

This true-crime documentary is a Sky Original from New Zealand and the UK. Helena Coan has created a gorgeously crafted fact-focused documentary and I hope everyone watches it. Not least to honor the memory of Grace Millane and the far too many other victims of all-too-similar crimes.

The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane is In Theaters & On Demand from March 29, 2024.

Details

Director: Helena Coan
Producers: Matthew Metcalfe, Tom Blackwell
Writers: Matthew Metcalfe, Tom Blackwell, Helena Coan
Cast: Detective Inspector Scott Beard