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Dream/Killer
Directed by Andrew Jenks
When teenaged Ryan Ferguson was wrongly arrested for the brutal murder of a local journalist, he assumed that the law would run its course and he'd soon be released. But it turned out to be only the beginning of a long nightmare involving corrupt police, judges and attorneys, and resulting in years of unjust incarceration. Told through the eyes of Ryan's devoted father, whose persistent amateur sleuthing saved his son from a lifetime in prison, this is a case with more twists and turns than a Dickens novel, and one that reveals innumerable, disturbing issues in the American justice system.
Reviews More Reviews
"This is not the slickly manipulative stuff of TV cop shows. On display are the ignorance, meanness, and willful disregard of the law by people charged with enforcing it. This is a real-life horror story, raw and galling, but not surprising. The fact that viewers, like the Fergusons, can muster only bittersweet relief at Ryan's release from prison is the film's whole point: The legal system itself is so damningly captured. - Village Voice
"Inspired by Errol Morris' true-crime documentary The Thin Blue Line, director Andrew Jenks (Room 335, MTV's World of Jenks) dissects Ryan's case, showing the corruptive nature of power and brutally slow machinations of the U.S. justice system. Fans of Serial and The Jinx, meet your new favorite film." - Rolling Stone
"gripping...A powerful story of abuse of power...completely straightforward in its telling of a case sure to infuriate viewers." - The Hollywood Reporter
"At 107 minutes, dream/killer...races by." - Film Forward
"...a highly personal and revealing film. Bill Ferguson is not only a father but a best friend to Ryan as is demonstrated by his tireless energy and relentless creativity in his fight to bring his son back home where he belongs." - Deborah Rudolph, DOC NYC Director of Development
"I won't reveal the end of dream/killer, but I will predict what you'll feel after watching it: This documentary elicits large measures of incredulity, frustration and astonishment...Though the timeline and a few details could use further clarification, dream/killer remains fast-paced and frightening. To those who claim they could never end up like Ryan Ferguson, Ms. Zellner says, 'Trust me: This could happen to you.' You hope that's not true. But sadly, everything we see here says she's right." - New York Times
"...a powerful, disturbing look into the American judicial system, revealing what happens when someone is unjustly convicted of murder in the U.S." - International Business Times
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Technical Info
- Color: Color