Plea

Brian McQuery’s feature Plea delves into the real lives of the people behind true-crime documentaries. Twenty years ago, a murder was committed. Joanna Heeley (Siobhan Doherty) was raped and murdered. Her long-time family friend, Hardy Knight (Eddie Kehler), was convicted of that crime based on DNA and circumstantial evidence.

Jump to today. Everything has changed. Hardy has been released from prison and exonerated of Joanna’s murder. Now a free man, Hardy can reconnect with his now teenage daughter, Kirsty (Jasmine Jessica Anthony), and somehow get his life back on track.

Then there’s Joanna’s husband, Tom (Steve Mize), who has become a recluse since the trial. After hearing about Hardy’s overturned conviction, Tom is obsessed with watching the true-life documentary covering the murder and evidence behind Hardy’s release. After endless phone calls with the police and district attorney’s office, Tom takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the lead prosecutor in this case, Ruth Dillon (Heather Langenkamp).

“…Tom takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the lead prosecutor…”

In a way, Plea runs two parallel paths. The first follows the wrongly convicted Hardy Knight’s journey to freedom through the documentary. It covers an innocent man who made one mistake in his youth, which made him the only suspect in Joanna Heeley’s case and follows his journey to reunite with his daughter.

Tom Heeley walks down the second path—one of frustration because his wife’s killer is still loose, and the police won’t reopen the case. We see his slow downward spiral, and his interaction with DA Dillon becomes a trial of justice and the truth. The most fascinating part of Dillon’s story is the DA’s mindset: justice means they have a conviction versus uncovering the truth.

Brian McQuery sets up Plea as an actor’s showcase. The point is to look at the personal lives of the subjects of a true-crime documentary while serving as an indictment of our fascination for these stories. They are all stories that keep us riveted to the endless streaming platforms where they appear. Yet, as the term “true crime” suggests, they are real people, and that’s what we’re given.

The cast of Plea gives strong performances, but the story and the questions the story raises are the reason to check out Brian McQuery’s film. I love a film that exists beyond the true crime narrative but looks into what justice really means today. To me, it’s not just justice, but it’s the truth. Have we as a society given up on finding the truth, or are we resigned to accepting the “stories” we’re told on our screens? That is the essential question.

For screening information, visit the Plea official website.