If you’re like me, and I suspect you are since we breed clones around here, you are obsessed with true crime mysteries whether on TV, books or podcasts. Serial got me hooked (FREE ADNAN), and Making a Murderer clinched my love for this genre:
And while it’s not exactly true-crime, I’m currently obsessing over Mindhunter which Beth recently discussed. I’ve have been listening to the terrible-but-addicting podcast series Serial Killers, which discusses a new real-life serial killer every Monday, and last year I listened to the podcast “A Murder on the Cape” podcast. A quick Google for the term “True Crime Podcasts” shows me I have MUCH MORE LISTENING to do!
And this last week, stuck home with yet another sinus infection (I’m killing my “Stay Healthy” New Years Resolutions so far this year..), I binged: American Vandal.
And here is why you should too.
Binge Watch This: American Vandal
American Vandal is a true crime story that takes place at Hanover High School in Oceanside, CA. It’s directed by high school student and member of The AV Club and morning show, Peter Maldonado.
It follows the story of vandalism at Hanover High and the stoner king Dylan Maxwell who was, wrongfully, he claims, expelled for vandalism. Peter, along with friend Sam Ecklund, dig deep into the story, following the clues, pouring over details, piecing together the who, whats, when, wheres and whys of the story through snapchat videos taken at infamous after-prom parties, interviewing teachers, administrators, finding clues deep within hidden files in the back of a filing cabinet in the Vice Principal’s office. It explores inappropriate teacher-student behavior, love triangles between students, summer camp secrets, teachers with vendettas, and goody-two shoes kids who end up being the heroes and villains.
The Vandalism?
Dicks, drawn on 27 Faculty Cars.
Dylan Maxwell is the perfect student to blame . He is a KNOWN dick drawer. He has made the life of Ms. Shapiro hell, the assumed-target of the original dick. He is the perfect fall-guy. Someone SAW HIM “Do the Dicks” as the vandalism has come to be called.
This documentary is done extremely well, extremely professionally. It looks exactly like you’d expect a true-crime mystery to look. From the graphics used, the music, the drama, the tears. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were talking about a murder committed on campus. And that’s the brilliance of American Vandal. The Seriousness of it makes the satire work so well.
It’s a documentary, taken seriously, presented seriously, about a kid who drew Dicks on 27 cars.
They get into details like “But what out the Ball Hairs?” and “You’d never draw a dick starting at the mushroom head. You always start at the shaft.” All details which become very important in determining Dylan Maxwell’s guilt or innocence.
It’s a documentary about the average modern high school experience, if your entire high school career was documented in Snapchat and Instagram snippets. It’s about what happens when seemingly innocuous details are reported and go viral, and the repercussions they cause. It’s about judging a book (and a teenager) by its cover and the damage it can do. And how things aren’t always as they seem. And how often… they are exactly what you’d expect.
Do yourself a favor and binge watch American Vandal on Netflix now!
