WEST OF MEMPHIS Special Screenings

Unfolding with the epic scope and emotional complexity of a Russian novel, Amy Berg’s WEST OF MEMPHIS casts a light on the brutal murder of three young boys in the Robin Hood Hills area of West Memphis, Arkansas – and the 18-year struggle to exonerate the teenagers who were convicted of the crimes. As the final appeal nears, supporters of the West Memphis Three, including filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, as well as musicians Eddie Vedder and Natalie Maines, enlist a team of forensic and legal experts to build a case against a new and unconsidered suspect, pushing the state towards a seemingly impossible resolution of simultaneous guilt and innocence. The film deliberately lingers on the faces as much as the facts – showing both sides of the debate while illustrating the complex mingling of memory and emotion that frequently barricade us from the truth.