Damien Echols looks on from behind prison glass in 'West of Memphis". Photo by Jeff Dailey, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
To say that the case of the West Memphis Three is an example of a corrupted justice system failing us would be the understatement of, well, the past 20 years. Following the murders of three 8-year-old boys in the small Arkansas town of West Memphis in 1993, teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were convicted of the crime the following year, mostly because of their love of heavy metal, aversion to Southern societal norms and collectively rebellious demeanor. If only they’d known that listening to Metallica and wearing black clothes would have resulted in them spending almost 20 years in prison for a crime they almost certainly did not commit.
This story has been well documented previously, namely in the HBO trilogy of Paradise Lost documentaries. But the findings presented in West of Memphis make it clear that Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin were innocent of these horrendous crimes. The most unsettling evidence, however, is the more recent discoveries making it almost undeniable that Terry Hobbs, stepfather of one of the young murder victims, seems like the most likely suspect. And with no indication that he will ever be tried for these crimes, the fact that the West Memphis Three spent the better part of their young adult lives behind bars becomes more unforgivable than ever.
Lorri Davis met and married Damien Echols while he was still in prison, as seen in "West of Memphis". Photo by Olivia Fougeirol, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Ever since the West Memphis Three were first arrested in ’93 they’ve garnered a good deal of support from the entertainment community, and West of Memphis is yet another attempt by musicians and filmmakers to let the rest of the world know why these guys should be set free (and should never have been convicted to begin with). Produced by The Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson (as well as Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis) and directed by Deliver Us from Evil director Amy Berg, the film features appearances by the likes of Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins, Johnny Depp and Patti Smith (with a soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis). But West of Memphis isn’t about movie stars and rock stars with some sort of political agenda. All of these people have volunteered their time and talents over the years to help justice be served. Oddly, while this film was being made, the closest thing to justice that could have happened did happen as the three men were finally released from prison (though that didn’t come without compromise as the plea that got them out basically forced them to admit some level of guilt).
West Memphis Three supporter Henry Rollins talks to "West of Memphis" director Amy Berg. Photo by Olivia Fougeirol, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Aside from evidence that Hobbs may have likely been the actual murderer (including his confession of this “family secret” to his own nephew), West of Memphis provides more than a reasonable doubt of the West Memphis Three’s guilt. So where were the three teens during the time of the murders? According to many townspeople, they were “at wrasslin'” that night. And if satanic rituals weren’t the cause of the genital mutilation and other abuse to the bodies of the young victims, then what was? Well, it turns out that the various scrapes and cuts were clearly done after the boys were already dead since there is no evidence of bleeding. And since their bodies were in a creek, turtles most likely nibbled on their softer parts (lips, ears, genitals) after their bodies were dumped in the ditch. That’s not even touching on the flawed investigation tactics of the local police, Hobbs’ abusive past and the on-camera regrets of a few people who now admit to having lied in their testimonies against the West Memphis Three.
As grim as all these details are, West of Memphis offers hope for the three men now that they have been released. It’s a moving story that just happened to have a somewhat happy ending, though there was no way the filmmakers could have known that when they started filming. And even though the fight still isn’t (and probably never will be) completely over, at least these guys have an opportunity to experience something akin to a normal life that doesn’t involve shackles and jumpsuits.