The statement, ‘We ought not to have killers at our marriage ceremony,’ sprung from the lips of Erin Lee Carr’s prospect spouse amid a heated debate about their wedding guest list. They were torn over the presence of an intriguing individual – Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a figure enveloped in chills and thrills, having served an eight-year jail term for her participation in her maternal homicide. Carr had concocted an intimate portrayal of Blanchard’s turbulent life in her widely acclaimed 2017 documentary ‘Mommy Dead and Dearest.’ The disagreement was one of their most intensive yet, leaving an indelible mark upon their relationship.
While Carr and her lover never consummated their love in a marriage ceremony, their divergence was bridged by an unlikely occasion – Blanchard’s baby shower, attended diligently by Carr. Within the past decade, Carr has made her name as a true-crime documentarian, weaving and lifting the veil of over a dozen stories shrouded in mystery and crime.
Following her success with ‘Mommy Dead and Dearest,’ Erin assumed the director’s chair for numerous high-profile true-crime chronicles. Her subjects were as diverse as they were controversial, ranging from a chilling texting-suicide incident involving Michelle Carter to sensational narratives such as the Britney Spears conservatorship ordeal or the disturbing Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse scandal within the US gymnastics landscape.
The roster of her works didn’t stop there; it included notorious episodes like the Stormy Daniels scandal and the peculiar Sherri Papini case. Papini was guilty of mail fraud and accused of concocting an extensive fiction of her own abduction. This past week, Carr began introducing a different flavor of heroines into her expanding repertoire as a 36-year-old filmmaker.
Recently, she shone the spotlight on two underestimated heroines. The first, a documentary named ‘I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders’, was motioned on HBO on the 15th and 16th of October. It detailed gripping chapters from the life of a Minnesota grandmother, Lois Riess, who not only committed the heinous act of murdering her spouse David but also added a second victim to her deadly journey while evading the law.
Fast on the heels of HBO’s double-header was Hulu’s unveiling of ‘Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara.’ This film ventured into a vastly different realm of crime, investigating the hacking scandal that shook the Canadian indie pop duo to their core back in 2011.
Despite the diverse nature of her projects, there were cohesive elements embedded in every Erin Lee Carr’s narrative. An overbearing conservatorship cast a worrying shadow in ‘I’m Not a Monster,’ drawing parallels to the similar struggle underlying Britney Spears’ story that Carr had previously covered. Meanwhile, ‘Fanatical’ touched upon the perils accompanying a life immersed in digital realities, echoing her earlier work with Sherri Papini’s case.
Erin is unequivocal about the realities engraved in her profession. She understands that one might perceive her career as fraught with negativity and the disheartening sides of society. Yet, embracing her role in bringing these stories to the people, she remains ambivalent to these dissenting views.
To her, such sacrifices in emotional labour are justified when she hears conversations about her work outside the confines of the production sphere. Knowing that her work spurs debates, raises questions, and ignites the intellectual curiosity of audiences render the trade-offs acceptable in her perception.
However, Carr’s boundary is not limited to interpersonal disagreements or Internet dissenters. She’s taken a steadfast stance to decline projects that stimulate emotional upheaval, including films related to Scientology and NXIVM. The hostilities and allegations surrounding sexual abuse cases have deeply affected her mental health, leading her to establish firm boundaries on her professional choices.
Throughout this point in her career, Carr has developed a keen understanding of her capacity. She’s incisively aware of what she can withstand and what she must evade for the sake of her well-being.
She had once been presented with the opportunity to create a documentary about an attention-grabbing case. Yet, surprising many, she chose to twist it into her first scripted endeavor, opting for a fresh approach while preserving her artistic essence.
Erin Carr promises more intriguing investigations as she plans her future return to the documentary scene. She drops hints about plans to reinvestigate a significant criminal case in due time, striking interest among her audience and the media alike.
In her view, our complex and chaotic world always offers an abundance of compelling subjects to explore. Human narratives steeped in depth and conflict are eternally available, fueling her filmmaking chronicles indefinitely.
Erin’s concerns, instead, revolve around the inevitable ticking of the clock. Faced with an endless stream of captivating topics, she fears running out of time more than depleting her reserves of stories to put on the screen.
Ultimately, as she navigates her ground-breaking journey through the choppy waters of true-crime filmmaking, Erin emerges as a powerful figure bucking the trend, breaking destinations and grappling with the demanding realities and sacrifices of her profession.