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I Just Killed My Dad
By Marty Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Manipulative docuseries about child abuse, murder.
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I Just Killed My Dad
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What's the Story?
I JUST KILLED MY DAD takes its name from something 17-year-old Anthony Templet said to 911 after shooting his father three times. After his arrest, Anthony appear strangely aloof, leading police and the district attorney to believe he could be a cold-blooded killer. But they slowly discover there was more going on inside Anthony's house that it appeared from the outside.
Is It Any Good?
This docuseries' depiction of abuse is often powerful but ultimately unsatisfying. Great true crime series often use their central events as stepping stones from which to explore bigger societal issues. In I Just Killed My Dad, that issue is child abuse, and how an abusive relationship can be concealed from even the people closest to it. However, the series is torn between depicting the insidiousness of abuse and wanting to entertain viewers. To build suspense, it frequently withholds information that would be helpful for deepening viewers' understanding of abuse. Subjects are often portrayed as having one perspective before later being revealed to feel the exact opposite way, distorting their perspectives simply for dramatic effect. The inconsistencies may be there for storytelling reasons but they also feel like they do Anthony Templet's story, and others like his, a disservice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the crime. Who is Anthony Templet? How do your impressions of Anthony change over the course of the series? How do you feel about the crime he committed?
Who was Bert Templet? What were the differences between Bert's public life and his private life? How do your impressions of Bert change over the course of the series?
Why do people seem to have a hard time understanding Anthony's perspective? How do they come to a deeper understanding of what he went through?
How were people prevented from helping Anthony when he was a child? What resources was he given after his father's death that helped him? How have others helped him begin to recover from the trauma of abuse?
TV Details
- Premiere date: August 9, 2022
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Educational
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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