Content Warning: This article contains references to mental health, murder, and drug misuse.
The power of documentary lies in its ability to get to the heart of its subject, often allowing people to speak the truth in ways they would not in everyday life. That is certainly the case with the docuseries The Invisible Pilot, which focuses on an Arkansas man who faked his own death, largely because he was running drugs and feared for his life.
The series is a blend of true crime and biography, and it is, at times, strange viewing, particularly once it dives deep into the stories. Though it has its own unique approach to its strange subject, it joins a number of other series–both documentaries and dramas, real and fictional–that reveal the truth behind appearances.
Few true crime documentaries have achieved quite the level of fame and notoriety as The Jinx, which focused on the accused murderer Robert Durst. It has many aspects of it that are sure to appeal to fans of The Invisible Pilot, most notably the fact that it is not just a fascinating piece of documentary journalism but also a startling piece of storytelling.
It is the type of documentary that, unlike many others, truly does manage to attain the truth for which it so desperately seeks.
There’s no question that Tiger King is one of the most successful series to have emerged from Netflix. Indeed, its first season became something of a popular culture phenomenon, focusing as it did on the deadly feud between the outlandish personality Joe Exotic and his archenemy Carole Baskin.
Like The Invisible Pilot, it provides a great deal of biographical background about its subjects, and it doesn’t shy away from the strange, and sometimes downright bizarre, aspects of its story. The second season, however, dives more deeply into the complicated psychologies involved.
Given the enormous success of Tiger King, it was probably inevitable that it would produce dramatic retellings. That is what emerges in Joe vs. Carole, in which John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon star as the two main characters.
Given that it’s a drama, it dives more deeply into the psychology of its characters, giving viewers a more sympathetic look at these two larger-than-life personalities. With its grounding in the basic reality of the story, it should appeal to fans of The Invisible Pilot.
The Invisible Pilot’s strength as a documentary is that it manages to give a great deal of detail to its central story. It allows the viewer to see almost the full context of its enigmatic and strange focus. Making a Murderer, the hugely successful true-crime drama from Netflix accomplishes something similar.
During its run, it allowed the viewer to not only become involved in the central mysteries of the case but also become emotionally invested in the central characters.
Like all good true crime documentaries, The Invisible Pilot pulls back the aura of mystique to get to the truth beneath. That is also the case with The Staircase, which chronicles the trial of novelist Michael Peterson, who was accused of having murdered his wife after she learned that he was bisexual.
The series is remarkable for the depth of its investigation, and it was even allowed access to the courtroom during the trial. It went on to have a remarkable influence, serving as the inspiration for the HBO miniseries of the same name, a dramatic telling of the trial and investigation of Peterson.
Given that The Invisible Pilot is, at least in part, a true-crime series, it partakes in the contemporary fascination with these types of stories. One other recent example is The Thing About Pam, which features Renee Zellweger in the title role.
Zellweger brings her considerable talents, honed from her many great roles to the character, who emerges as a very strange person indeed (someone whose honey-sweet words and demeanor hide an inner viciousness). And, as is the case with The Invisible Pilot, this series demonstrates how truth is often stranger than fiction.
The Invisible Pilot manages to be both a compelling story and also a piece of investigative journalism, braiding these two elements together very skillfully. The series, The Act, though is a dramatized telling of the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard.
As is so often the case with true crime dramas, the series aims to get at the emotional truth behind the sensational story, and it is grounded by, among other things, a powerful performance from Patricia Arquette. It also raises awareness of Factitious disorder imposed on another, providing more insight and depth into the case that some viewers might not have been aware of.
Olivia Colman has been in many great roles, and she brings her considerable talents to the character of Susan Edwards, a woman who, along with her husband, was accused of murdering her parents and burying them in the backyard.
It’s another story, like The Invisible Pilot, which is all the more striking for being true. There’s also no doubt that Colman’s performance as Susan manages to be both deeply disturbing and emotionally resonant at the same time, as she brings out the complexities of this deeply troubled individual.
Though it is not based on a true story, Sharp Objects still has much to recommend it to fans of The Invisible Pilot. In large part, this is because it is focused on one woman’s attempt to discover the truth about a number of disappearances in her hometown.
Amy Adams turns in a powerful performance as Camille Preaker, someone who is haunted by the past and by her own dysfunctional relationship with her mother. It is the type of series designed to stay with the viewer long after the credits roll.
The Invisible Pilot is concerned, among other things, with uncovering the truth behind appearances, no matter how disturbing it might be. With each season, the series managed to plumb the depths of the depravity of people.
Though True Detective at first glance might have appeared to be just another iteration of the crime thriller genre, it soon showed that it was something more. It was certainly helped in this regard by the uniform strength of its central cast, from Matthew McConaughey in the first season to Mahershala Ali in the third.
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