Creating a killer There are many topics that cinema has neglected over the years. Crime and imprisonment are not one of them. Given the sheer number of pictures that tell us incredibly interesting stories about how people commit crimes and then pay for them, it’s no wonder we start to feel like we know everything about crime and punishment. Yet it is these hundreds of thousands of films, what criminologists and lawyers call the “CSI effect,” that have created a vast array of stereotypes and misguided ideas that we often blindly believe. Documentaries covering topics such as crime, the law and imprisonment are therefore very valuable to anyone who would like to learn more about these issues and find out what is true and what is false. One such picture is the work of British documentary director David Sington’s Fear of Thirteen, which tells about an American who spent 23 years on death row before his innocence was proven and he was released.
All prisoners can be divided into two categories. The first is those who have a classic prison mentality, and in them you immediately recognize a person who has spent most of his life in prison. The second are those who may have been in prison from a very young age, but who have not lost the character of a free person, and by communicating with whom you would feel that you speak the same language. The protagonist and narrator of the David Sington film, Nick Yaris, is a rare mix of these two categories. On the one hand, it can help you understand how people think in prison, what is important to them and what is not. On the other hand, he is able to find common ground with a viewer who has never been arrested or associated with people who have broken the law. As a devoted fan of various literature, Nick Yaris with the help of the director creates a real colorful book. It consists of memories of his life. Past, present and future. Moments soaked in smoke or soaked in blood. The smell of spring and hope or the stench of hopelessness and death. In Yaris sits a wonderful writer and poet, who even the smallest moments can describe as significant.
Unlike many documentaries about crime and punishment, especially those about wrongly convicted people, Fear of Thirteen is by no means a depressing film. While it is full of various feelings, including negative ones, hope, faith and love are always the main ones. From the mouth of the narrator, you will learn about the unique and beautiful stories that can happen in a simple prison. The worst moments will always be more, but the ones that stay with you after the movie will be full of light and warmth. “Fear of Thirteen” is a movie-feeling, a picture-feeling, the protagonist of which is a person talented enough to make you feel like you were there with him, too, and as if it was literally yesterday.