My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story takes an in-depth look into the trials and tribulations of former NFL star, Aaron Hernandez.
In 2015, former Patriots tight end, Aaron Hernandez, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The trial led to more problems coming to light, ultimately leading to Hernandez committing suicide in prison, only raising more questions.
My Perfect World, a title that would come from a tattoo that Hernandez bared on his chest, does a great job at giving a backstory on the life of Hernandez. It explores his upbringing as a child, his high school and college football career, ending with his NFL career. Hernandez was an average child in a loving family. His parents were very involved in his life and his siblings too. Hernandez and his younger brother got their love of football from their father who was also a football standout. Where things took a turn for Aaron Hernandez was when his father went in for what was supposed to be a routine surgery to fix a hernia. Aaron’s father died on the surgical table.
“…problems coming to light, ultimately leading to Hernandez committing suicide in prison…”
After Aaron’s father’s untimely passing, Aaron decides to go off to Florida for college. A move that would set him on the path to becoming an NFL star. In college, Hernandez would get involved with the wrong crowd escalating to run-ins with the law. Arrested for assault, the charges would later be dropped due to his star power. The fact that he was a local star enabled his bad behavior buying and selling marijuana, owning a gun, and his alleged double homicide (which was later revealed during his trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd).
The documentary interviews some of Hernandez’s closest friends, family, and those involved in the murder investigation. The interviews provide first-hand eyewitness accounts into the life of Hernandez. The film even includes some highlight film of Hernandez’s football career from high school to the NFL, dramatized reenactments and surveillance footage from inside Hernandez’s home the day after the murder. The surveillance footage, in particular, is footage that I have never seen before.
“…the tragic rise and fall of a man that had it all and threw it all away in the worst way possible.”
The documentary chooses not to cover the conspiracy that Aaron Hernandez hid his alleged homosexual lifestyle. After Aaron’s sudden suicide in prison, theories arose of why he killed himself just days after being acquitted of double-homicide. The most surprising theory was he may have had gay relationships throughout his life. There was even a man that claimed to be Hernandez’s secret lover.
My Perfect World is an excellent documentary that gives a lot of detail into the former NFL star’s life. I wish that there was more discussion of the theories behind Aaron Hernandez’s suicide, but it is an interesting look at the tragic rise and fall of a man that had it all and threw it all away in the worst way possible.
My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story (2018) Written and Directed by Geno McDermott.
9 out of 10 stars
Where can I watch this?
Where can we watch this documentary?