Oscars Preview: 30 Movies to Watch Before the Nominations Come Out!

Image via ESPN Films

O.J.: Made In America

What it’s about:

In this five-part documentary series, ESPN explores O.J. Simpson’s life, career, and murder trial. Simpson was an icon in the sports world, exuding talent and charisma. But when his wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered, Simpson was charged with murder and subsequently, controversially, acquitted. The story of Simpson’s life is the subject of many works, especially this year. But this documentary stands out in that it considers the larger context of the time and circumstances in which he lived. Both in America and in Simpson’s own life, race was a major factor in the progression of his story. But possibly just as instrumental was Simpson’s own status as a celebrity. By not limiting itself to a traditional time constraint, this documentary mini-series allows itself ample time to explore all the factors in the sinister success of O.J. Simpson.

Major Players:

Ezra Edelman, director of several sports documentaries, directed and co-produced O.J.: Made In America. His voice is the major artistic influence on the documentary. Edelman told Sports Illustrated in June that he wanted to “use that canvas [of the trial] to tell a deeper story about race in America, about the city of Los Angeles, the relationship between the black community and the police, and who O. J. was and his rise to celebrity. That’s the story I wanted to tell.”

What the Critics are Saying:

With a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 96% on Metacritic, O.J.: Made In America boasts some of the highest aggregate scores of the year. Critics praise the bravery and realism of the portrayal of Simpson’s life. Jen Chaney of Vulture writes, “By displaying extremely graphic photos of a slain Brown and Goldman and detailing, with a chilling sense of foreboding, the history of domestic violence in the Brown/Simpson relationship, Made in America never lets us forget that two people’s lives were lost.” The Washington Post’s Hank Stuever calls the documentary series “nothing short of a towering achievement,” writing “After all the media coverage, the books, the outrage, the documentaries, the miniseries — after so much sturm-und-drang, this story has at last been perfectly captured and perfectly told.”

Possible Nominations:

Best Documentary Feature