A television and film critic has issued a warning to HBO Max, Sky and Now TV customers over a true-crime documentary he described as "devastating, horrible and disgusting." In a review-first, Luke Eccleston issued a "massive trigger warning" as he admitted he found it difficult to complete the film in question.
"I didn't even know whether I should talk about it," Luke said. "But I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it." The harrowing production is available to stream on the aforementioned platforms now, but he said doing so is at each viewer's own risk.
Documentary's Disturbing Narrative
The documentary is an HBO original titled 'Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing a Family's Secrets.' Luke proceeded to outline the narrative: "It tells the horrifying and disturbing story of a young girl who when her grandmother passes away, she begins to piece together a terrible past that haunts their family with things that her grandfather committed towards people who attended his practice." This encompassed offences against his own daughter and granddaughter.
"It's such a powerful story in that it goes into the history of the girl's family and interviews her actual grandfather who did this," Luke added. The critic continued to caution that certain elements in the documentary are "hard to hear," which led to his difficulty in finishing it.
Critic's Warning and Viewer Reactions
"Coming out of it you will have more questions than answers," he said. "As you struggle to suss out why her grandmother would have put her own mother in these situations, even worse you will struggle to understand why the mother put her children in the same situations. Finding out the details is absolutely horrific - I have never seen a true-crime story like it before."
In the film, Amanda Mustard, the photojournalist and victim, says: "I love that I get to make exposing the truth about something a part of my job. It's the least that I can do as the granddaughter of this piece of s***." Her grandfather, Bill Flickinger, states: "I didn't want to do things that are bad. To me it was too much of an open temptation."
Film Details and Reception
Directed by Rachel Beth Anderson and Amanda Mustard, the synopsis reads: "Photojournalist Amanda Mustard turns her investigative lens on the sexual abuse committed by her grandfather, unearthing a high-stakes personal journey in pursuit of the truth and reconciliation for Amanda's family." The documentary carries an IMDb rating of 7.4 out of 10 from upwards of 2,000 reviews.
One recent viewer remarked: "This is without a doubt one of the strongest and most self-aware documentaries I have ever seen. Beautiful visuals and nuanced delivery. It feels like I'm experiencing someone's memories firsthand. It rings so true to family dysfunction - and the complex ways that the human mind processes that dysfunction in order to protect ourselves. It tracks many years in the life of the family, so we see through the camerawoman's eyes how family dynamics play out both short-term and long-term. It's honest and heartfelt."
Reacting to Luke's clip, one TikTok user declared: "I just watched this and I genuinely cannot believe the end with the mum. Like I was raging." Another viewer chimed in: "I am about two minutes in and I am shocked. What on Earth?" While a third admitted: "5 mins in. Turned it off. Couldn't watch it."
