If you happen to remember Mackenzie Shirilla, then “The Crash” is the documentary that revisits her story. Based on the backdrop of 2022, Mackenzie Shirilla was involved in a car accident that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan after the car in which they were riding slammed into a brick building at nearly 100 miles per hour in Ohio. Initially, it was ruled out as a sad affair of fate. But soon enough, the internet started debating if it was really an accident or an intentional happening by Mackenzie Shirilla. Post investigation, she was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years to life. In the documentary, Mackenzie Shirilla claims and repeatedly asserts that she isn’t a murderer and that she has no recollection of the event. Meanwhile, her parents say that a medical event called POTS caused the crash.
The best about the documentary is that it isn’t trying to shield Mackenzie Shirilla. However, it does clearly give her a space to talk about what she underwent during the whole incident. Director Gareth Johnson plays it tactfully, ensuring that he doesn’t re-sensationalise the entire accident and the aftermath of it. He gives a space to the audience to listen to Mackenzie Shirilla firsthand by way of “The Crash”. With the help of police footage, social media clips, interviews, and courtroom materials, we get to see and understand what exactly happened in 2022. This was one of the best ways to ensure that we go down the memory lane, while at the same time, negative focus remains off the radar for the documentary.
It also shows Mackenzie Shirilla as a teenager who was in a toxic relationship, a narrative that the media hardly put the light on. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from showing the point of view of the prosecutors, according to whom she was manipulative and emotionally volatile. In some scenes, the accusations of her controlling behavior, drug use, online behavior, etc., have also been explored in great detail. But by doing so, the makers of “The Crash” want us, the audience, to form an opinion rather than force it on us. This approach makes the plot worth watching.
The pacing is even. Nowhere has the plot rushed. An equal amount of time has been spared for us to see and understand the gravity of the situation and what exactly happened. That grasping of knowledge is important when we are watching a criminal case unfold on our screens.
Apart from that, the person in the news, Mackenzie Shirilla, coming on her own to share her side of the story, makes “The Crash” an interesting watch. Many times, it is other people speaking on behalf of someone else. But the makers did this thing differently.
The only issue is the fact that very little coverage is provided on Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan, the actual victims of the crash. The plot somewhere becomes a bit obsessed with Mackenzie, due to which the other two get sidelined. I was hoping for some more information on them, which we didn’t get. But nonetheless, that doesn’t change the fact that the overall result is good.
Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times