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True crime stories aren’t just an American phenomenon, as seen in Netflix’s latest hit series, A Friend, A Murderer.
This three-part Danish documentary series dives into a murder suspect who managed to remain undetected by his friends until well after his murder spree began.
That leaves the killer’s closest friends asking a lot of uncomfortable questions about themselves and what they could have done differently.
Now, Watch With Us is sharing the three reasons to watch A Friend, A Murderer on Netflix this week.
The Documentary Takes a Unique Approach
Instead of retroactively following the police investigation that ultimately led to the killer, A Friend, A Murderer focuses on Amanda, Kiri and Nichlas, the three friends who knew Philip Westh best. Their recollections of the events are colored by the revelations that came long after, and they’re constantly reexamining their past with Westh for any signs they missed that he was secretly a killer. The consensus seems to be that there were some strange things about Westh, but nothing that would have triggered a call to the police.
The family of the victims deserves the most sympathy, but it’s hard not to feel for the friends as well. They have to live with the guilt and the suspicion that they could have done more to stop Westh’s reign of terror. And that’s something they’ll have to live with.
It’s a Glimpse Into the Way Another Culture Is Affected by Murder
Bo in A Friend, a Murderer. Netflix
In America, we’re somewhat desensitized to the level of violence that’s become a part of our lives. It’s no longer uncommon for someone to be murdered, although some crimes are more shocking than others. Denmark isn’t immune to having violent crime, it just isn’t on the scale that we’ve become accustomed to. If anything, that makes the Danish people even more frightened and angry as they try to understand who could have gone through with these murders.
The names of the victims have been withheld from this miniseries in part because the families wanted no part in this particular documentary. A Friend, A Murderer kind of glosses over that aspect of the show. But it’s interesting to see how far the shadow of these crimes extends, and how it reshapes a society that isn’t used to dealing with something so monstrous.
The Killer Is a Monster That We Still Don’t Understand
Kiri in A Friend, a Murderer. Netflix
This may also be considered a deterrent to the documentary, because by the end of A Friend, A Murderer, we’re no closer to understanding the reason behind Westh’s crimes or the urges that drove him to kill. He’s simply an enigma to his friends and the audience, and a monster who was very good at hiding in plain sight.
There aren’t any easy answers to be had in this miniseries, but the real-life events are chilling and this is one murderer that you’re likely to remember for a long time.
A Friend, A Murderer is streaming on Netflix.
