TV Review: Amanda Knox Seeks to Reclaim Her Story in Hulu’s Bold New Dramatization of “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox”
Anyone paying attention to the news in 2007 and the years following will undoubtedly be familiar with the story of Amanda Knox. The American exchange student spent four years wrongfully incarcerated in Italy following the death of Meredith Kercher. Public opinion at the time varied widely on the innocence or guilt of Knox, but over the years, she has generally been considered to have been wrongfully accused. Now, over 15 years later, the story is being dramatized in the Hulu limited series, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.
The new series clearly has a viewpoint on the case that it takes from the get-go, showing Amanda’s point-of-view of events. The first episode briefly delves into Amanda’s upbringing with divorced parents, before beginning to tell the events of November 1st, 2007. It’s established that Amanda, at least in her youth and before these events, was quite the happy-go-lucky soul. She didn’t necessarily fit in, especially in Italy, where her outgoing exuberance was seen as odd by not only her “friends" – but far more tragically – by the authorities. Amanda is expertly brought to life by Tell Me Lies star Grace Van Patten, who gives an immediately believable performance. From Amanda’s goofy personality prior to the events, to her absolutely distraught pathos once in custody, Van Patten effortlessly slips into Amanda’s shoes.
The show clearly tries to establish that Amanda was always at a disadvantage in this case – with little understanding of Italian and her unique personality, she almost immediately became a suspect. The events of 2007 are surrounded by Amanda and her husband and mother’s return to Italy in 2022 – something which actually happened and I was unaware of. So I’m interested to see just what brought her back to a place that caused her so much harm.
What makes this show even more intriguing is the involvement of Amanda Knox herself as an executive producer. This involvement allows Knox to get her retelling of the events of over 15 years through the eyes of a dramatic adaptation. The series aims for a balance of dramatic storytelling and factual accuracy, drawing from court documents and Knox’s own memoir, Waiting to Be Heard. Also involved as a producer is Monica Lewinsky, another infamous figure who was vilified by the media and unjustly treated for many years.
From a visual standpoint, I was immediately quite impressed with the direction of the show, with a number of moments having unexpected moments – like moving postcards in a flashback scene in the first episode. While most of the series was actually filmed in Ireland, key scenes were shot on location in Italy, allowing the natural beauty of the landscape to serve as a juxtaposing backdrop to the horror of murder and the chaos of Amanda’s life.
Amanda Knox’s story has always been one that has intrigued me, and as far as I can remember, I always believed in her innocence. While this is obviously a dramatization of her story, it is still truly mind-boggling to see how the authorities could have possibly thought Amanda was a crazed murderer. Yes, she had her quirks – but quirks do not equal murderer. So, coming from my perspective on the case, I gelled quite well with the limited series. In addition to a great performance from Van Patten, the show expertly transports viewers throughout Amanda Knox’s life, and throws in some great directorial choices too.
The first two episodes of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox arrive on Hulu on Wednesday, August 20th. Six additional episodes will follow each week thereafter.