The Truth About Jussie Smollett is madder than anyone expected

The Independent

The Truth About Jussie Smollett? has shot into Netflix’s top 10 films – and for good reason. The documentary revisits one of the most polarising celebrity scandals of the past decade, weaving together court evidence, conflicting testimony and a media firestorm into a story that’s stranger than fiction.In this week’s Streamline, we explore why the film has become such an instant cultural talking point, what it says about our obsession with true crime, and why, six years on, the story is more polarising than ever.We also spotlight the new film releases poised to dominate group chats and Letterboxd feeds this week.

Transcript

00:00This is Streamline, your weekly guide to what's worth watching across TV, film and everything

00:05in between. In a world of endless streaming, scrolling and choice, it's easy to lose track

00:09of what to watch. And hey, no judgment. But if you want to know what's actually worth watching,

00:14what to skip, and generally what everyone's going to be talking about, we've got you covered.

00:19Let's talk about the biggest release of the week. I watched The Truth About Jussie Smollett,

00:23the second it hit Netflix, along with about 10 million other people.

00:26Jussie Smollett.

00:27I was sure he'd made it up.

00:28He did that.

00:28Now, for the chronically offline, or just anyone who wants a recap, Jussie Smollett is

00:34an actor best known for his work in the TV show Empire. He's also an activist, especially

00:38around racial justice and LGBTQ plus rights. In 2019, he claimed to be the victim of a hate

00:44crime.

00:44They see an actor called Jussie Smollett with a noose around his neck.

00:48I knew this was going to be huge.

00:49It literally was everywhere.

00:51The story blew up, and this was at a time where racial tension in the US was already sky high.

00:56But then things took a turn.

00:58Cops later uncovered evidence allegedly indicating the actor paid two extras who worked on his

01:03show Empire to stage the attack.

01:05I was like, we got this dude now.

01:07Jussie has always said that his story hasn't changed. So what really happened?

01:12The thing that's fascinating about the story is that it doesn't make sense. So many things

01:15about it don't make sense. Like, if he did set up this hate crime and fake it, why would

01:20he have fired two Nigerian Americans to stage a hate crime that he thought would be captured

01:26on camera?

01:27Like, it doesn't add up. The idea of anyone staging an attack on themselves, paying someone

01:33to beat them up, is just bizarre, right? So whichever way you look at it, whatever the

01:37actual objective truth is, it's a fascinating story.

01:41This documentary digs into every possible angle, including interviews with police, journalists,

01:46Jussie himself, and the two brothers who say it was all staged. If the style feels familiar,

01:51it's because this is from the same people who bought you Don't F*** with Cats and the

01:54Tinder Swindler.

01:55So I think we can expect the same insane true crime water cooler moment to emerge from this.

02:00There are some people who are actually convinced in his guilt.

02:03If you watch this and actually think that this guy might be innocent, I feel bad for you dog.

02:08And there are others who are completely convinced of his innocence.

02:11I'm not sure. He might actually be innocent.

02:15The fact that we can watch exactly the same footage, two groups of people, and see completely

02:20different things. The Jussie case is just another example of that. It feels like you'd have to be

02:27Team Jussie is totally innocent or he's a liar, he's totally guilty.

02:30The runtime for this is a neat and tidy 90 minutes. So perfect for anyone with the attention span of a

02:35flea who still wants to get their true crime fix.

02:38If you're anything like me and you've fallen head first down the true crime rabbit hole,

02:42then don't worry, I've got you covered.

02:44Here are three films that absolutely everyone is going to be talking about.

02:47First up we have Court Stealing, which is a crime comedy following Hank,

02:51a burnt-out ex-baseball player who gets pulled into the criminal underbelly of 90s New York

02:55after his neighbour asks him to catsit for a few days.

02:58I like cats.

02:59I like dogs.

03:00This is very Snatch, so if you're a fan of a bit of 90s Guy Ritchie,

03:04then this is definitely worth a watch.

03:05Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz's on-screen romance actually sparked IRL dating rumours

03:10earlier this year.

03:11So needless to say,

03:14the internet is feral.

03:16I mean honestly, whoever's doing the marketing deserves a pay rise.

03:19For me, I'm still in this era of Austin, so I can't let my mind go there.

03:26So this film is directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky,

03:29who did Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream.

03:33So it's really fun seeing him moving into a sort of zany crime caper space.

03:41What the hell happened?

03:42Next up we have The Thursday Murder Club, based on the books by Richard Osman.

03:46Yeah, the guy from Pointless.

03:48It follows a group of retirees turned amateur sleuths who attempt to solve a murder case.

03:53Obviously, RIP and all that.

03:55Also starring in this, we've got David Tennant, Naomi Aki, Tom Ellis.

03:59I could go on.

03:59So this film has the vibe of sort of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Calendar Girls,

04:04but with a sort of Agatha Christie whodunit threading through it.

04:07And if all of that doesn't sound charming and cosy enough for you,

04:10then it's also directed by Chris Columbus.

04:12Yes, that Chris Columbus who did Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire,

04:17Hello Pierce.

04:18And the first two Harry Potters.

04:19Intermediate knitting starts here in one hour.

04:22Finally, we have The Roses, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch,

04:25as golden couple Ivy and Theo, whose perfect relationship begins to sour

04:30when her career overshadows his, bringing years of resentment to the surface.

04:33I suppose sometimes I do hate you.

04:35Ah, sporadic hatred.

04:38This is a reimagining of The War of the Roses from 1989,

04:41which is based on Warren Adler's novel.

04:42This film was directed by Jay Roach,

04:44who's probably best known for films like Meet the Parents and Bombshell.

04:47And maybe most excitingly, this was written by Tony McNamara,

04:51who's the same guy that wrote Poor Things and The Favourite.

04:54So it probably gives you a bit of an idea of the sort of twisted,

04:56dark humour that we can expect from this.

04:58And I mean, it's Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch

05:01just being absolutely diabolical to each other.

05:04So what's not to like?

05:05Sometimes Ivy's mad at me and I can't even tell.

05:08Sometimes he's got his f*** in me and I can't even tell.

05:11Thanks so much for watching.

05:12I'm going to be back with another set of recommendations for Streamline next week.

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