The story of Delbert Ward touches on themes of community, rural vs. city lifestyles and values, police and state corruption, euthanasia and media intrusion. This documentary presents views and opinions on all the above without really pushing any one agenda too forcefully. It also wisely avoids drawing a conclusion on the chief question that viewers might have, that being whether or not he actually killed his brother. That said, it does encourage warm feelings and sympathy for Delbert through many interviews and vignettes of his pastoral lifestyle.
Visually, the film is a bit dingy and grimy in places, with several interviews taking place in the dimly-lit family home and a fair portion given over to courtroom proceedings. In this sense, cinematography is a somewhat drab throughout, but presents a fair "slice-of life".
All-in-all this is a good and even documentary, but I felt it was lacking in something: perhaps it doesn't go deep enough into any of its themes to present any new perspective and hence isn't all that thought-provoking. Your enjoyment of this film will likely be relative to how much you enjoy the insight into a disappearing way of life.
Visually, the film is a bit dingy and grimy in places, with several interviews taking place in the dimly-lit family home and a fair portion given over to courtroom proceedings. In this sense, cinematography is a somewhat drab throughout, but presents a fair "slice-of life".
All-in-all this is a good and even documentary, but I felt it was lacking in something: perhaps it doesn't go deep enough into any of its themes to present any new perspective and hence isn't all that thought-provoking. Your enjoyment of this film will likely be relative to how much you enjoy the insight into a disappearing way of life.