The Netflix documentary about the Menendez brothers is a deep dive into one of the most shocking and controversial true crime stories in American history. The filmmaker, Alejandro Hartmann, takes a careful and respectful approach to the brothers’ story, which involves the murder of their parents in 1989.
The documentary, The Menendez Brothers, includes interviews with the brothers themselves, as well as other people involved in the case. It explores how our understanding of abuse and trauma has changed over time, and invites us to reconsider the Menendez brothers’ story from a new perspective.
If you’re wondering whether this documentary is worth adding to your list or not, keep reading.
A Tale of Abuse and Trauma
The documentary is part of Netflix‘s ongoing series of true crime stories. It’s like a follow-up to the dramatized version of the Menendez brothers’ story that was in Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters” series.
Unlike the dramatic version, which was sometimes controversial, this documentary is more focused on facts and doesn’t exaggerate the story.

It includes new information and interviews with people who were close to the case. One of the brothers’ cousins, who testified in the original trial, continues to say that the brothers were abused and that their family was really messed up.
The documentary, The Menendez Brothers, is really interesting because it uses the words of Lyle and Erik Menendez themselves. They were interviewed over the phone from prison, where they are serving life sentences.
A Fight for Justice
They talk about their experiences, how they felt, and what they think about now. They keep saying that they were abused and that this is why they killed their parents. Their story has stayed the same for over 30 years, which is both scary and sad. It makes us think about how society should view violence when someone has been hurt for a long time.
The documentary, The Menendez Brothers, also includes interviews with some of the key people from the original trial, including the prosecutor, Pamela Bozanich. However, she is not shown in a very good light.
While she admits that José Menendez was a terrible person, she seems to be angry about the outcome of the trial and doesn’t want to believe that the brothers were abused.

Her stubbornness and refusal to have a real conversation show that she is still stuck in her old way of thinking as a prosecutor, which makes the documentary less serious overall. The documentary looks at how the brothers acted during the trial and how people saw them at the time.
The Menendez Brothers shows old clips from the courtroom where the brothers were laughed at and made fun of for being emotional. But now, we understand more about how abuse can affect people’s minds. In the past, people didn’t believe the brothers when they were upset, but now, younger people think their sentences were unfair.
How Is The Menendez Brothers Overall?
The documentary also talks about the legal side of the case, especially the question of whether the brothers should spend the rest of their lives in prison without a chance to get out. While it’s clear that they did something terrible, the film asks if they should be punished so harshly because they were abused when they were growing up.
As we learn more about how trauma can affect people, the film asks a tough but important question: Should the Menendez brothers still be in prison forever?

The documentary, The Menendez Brothers, is simple but well-made. It uses old videos, courtroom scenes, and new interviews to tell a clear and interesting story. The way it mixes the past and present shows that this case is still important and people are still interested in it.
The filmmaker lets the brothers talk to the audience directly, which makes the documentary feel more personal and human. This helps us understand the moral problems of their crime.
Conclusion
The documentary about The Menendez Brothers is a must-see for anyone interested in true crime, especially if you have followed the case for a long time. It is a very important addition to Netflix’s true crime collection.
It gives us new ways to think about this famous case and makes us reconsider our old ideas. Whether you think the brothers should still be in prison or not, this documentary successfully highlights the complicated issues of justice, trauma, and responsibility, making it an essential watch.