I have often struggled to accept the concept of true crime as entertainment rather than education. When we binge-watch new documentaries, the line between the two is often indistinguishable, but with the new Hulu series Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neesethe substance speaks for itself.
In a nutshell, 16-year-old Skylar Neese disappears from her home in West Virginia, leaving her family and community in turmoil. As the search for answers intensifies, attention turns to Skylar’s closest friends, uncovering “a tangle of secrets, betrayal and identity,” as Hulu and Disney+ (for international fans) put it.
It’s clear that the community worked together to achieve the final product and tell Skylar’s story – something director Clair Titley confirms when I speak to her. But I can’t help but find myself with another concern.
“The FBI ultimately wants to help people.”
“First of all, it’s completely natural,” Ambrosini begins. “People are very nervous about talking to someone in a law enforcement setting, but overall I would ask them to remember that. People go into law enforcement because they want to provide a service. They want to help people ultimately, and I think that comes through.
“No one ever wants the knock at the door to be the FBI, do they? It’s usually not someone’s ideal day. That being said, if someone is nervous about something, nine times out of ten we’ll talk about it and I can address that specific concern.”
He continued, “Being a law enforcement officer is a calling of service, and I think when they talk to someone, they really care. They want to find the truth, wherever the truth takes them. It can be painful at times, but ultimately they want to get to the ground truth. So I understand the feelings of apprehension. »
If everyone at the FBI was like Ambrosini, I would never worry a day in my life. Warm, engaging and naturally disarming, it’s no surprise he was asked to appear in the documentary… something that tapped into his own concerns.
“To be honest, I was probably a little conflicted,” he adds. “Traditionally, growing up in the FBI, we tend to be a little bit out of the media. We generally don’t go out there and make public statements.
“But I had heard about the case in various other media before, on podcasts and things like that. And it was done in a very linear and clinical way, where it was used as a backdrop for a broader approach to the real crime. Once I got permission to speak publicly about it from the FBI, I met with the team involved and was really surprised by the care used to tell Skylar’s story.
“I have to tell you, it’s really a beautiful representation of Skylar and her family. And when I saw the final product, I was so impressed to see things through the lens of her friends, which I think is appropriate. [Skylar’s parents] Dave and Mary also play an important role. It’s not in my nature to go out and do that, but they all made it very comfortable.”
Moral of the story… there’s a little kindness everywhere.
Episodes of Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese are on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international) starting March 6.
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