Casting JonBenet Reinvents The Term “Documentary”
The documentary Casting JonBenet is rather unique; the film reinvents the word John Grierson utilized in his review for Robert J. Flaherty’s Moana, back in 1926. Rather than exposing us, in a cookie-cutter “Dateline NBC” fashion, what may or may not have happened the night of JonBenet Ramsey’s mother, director Kitty Green utilizes actors, who are auditioning for multiple roles on a movie about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, shot in 1.33:1 during the actors’ interviews, and shot in 2.39:1 during reenactments on what could’ve happened the night (and aftermath) of JonBenet’s murder.
During the 1.33:1 scenes, you have multiple actors going through the script and acting a moment from the so-called movie in a different fashion. The result is often hilarious, seeing them doing one line in so many ways, channeling different facial expressions or dramatic intonations. However, it isn’t the most fascinating part about those sequences. No one really knows who killed JonBenet or how she really died. The film is chock-full of conspiracy theories that the actors share to the camera (and to each other), not knowing what happened. Sometimes, they will converse and debate on who killed her. It’s fascinating to see these actors obsess so vehemently on a murder and questioning “who did it”. The best conspiracy theories involve a sex educator talking about JonBenet’s murder while making analogies that complement his job as a sex educator. It creeped me out a bit, but his analogies would deepen the actors’ obsessions with conspiracy theories and not moving on with a horrible murder that happened over 20 years ago. Another fascinating sequence is when they read the so-called “ransom note” and theorize who wrote it, while also analyzing the ransom note’s composition, how it was well written, with an exact amount of money, and doesn’t seem to be written in a hurry. The documentary doesn’t, obviously, give you a conclusion on JonBenet’s murder but only makes it more ambiguous due to its multiplicity of points of view and many conspiracy theories that only enlarge your opinion on the subject.
The film’s best sequences, however, are the ones shot at a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The static cinematography, both in 1.33:1 and 2.39:1 are sublime, but the cinematic 2.39:1 cinematography is absolutely stunning. Why wasn’t this movie nominated for a best cinematography oscar? Every shot composition is absolutely stunning, every frame is, in itself, art. ESPECIALLY the film’s last 10-minutes, in which every single actor that was interviewed for an audition participates in an overflow of what could’ve happened the night of JonBenet’s murder, coupled with Ed Tomney’s “Yellow Roses” from Todd Haynes’ Safe (1995). No spoilers but that sequence is one of the very best of 2017. The music perfectly complements the overflow of emotions you will feel while watching the sequence. Running at a stark 80 minutes, Casting JonBenet packs a real emotional punch, especially during its last 10 minutes — where the movie becomes full circle; the case will never be resolved and the conspiracy theories will overflow what really happened. The film doesn’t give a conclusion. Instead, its conclusion is a barrage of conspiracy theories and what ifs. Some of the interviews are quite repetitive, and the film’s pacing is a little iffy at times, but its emotional punch cannot be underestimated. If you have a Netflix account, this is a film to absolutely see and one of the most original documentaries you’ll ever see.
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