Tales of the Grim Sleeper

When on July 7, 2010 the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Lonnie Franklin Jr., the alleged serial murderer of at least 10 people, it was hailed as a great success of the police and city authorities. Four years later, Nick Broomfield hits the streets of South Los Angeles to find out how a serial murderer continued killing while avoiding capture for over 20 years. The director builds a portrait of the Grim Sleeper from the memories of neighbors, dealers, drifters and even the killer's son ex-girlfriend. Broomfield's guide is Pam, a middle-aged former prostitute, who like a Virgil-in-a-skirt gives him a tour of hell without losing her dark sense of humor. Broomfield presses for a bigger picture about the frozen state of a neglected, impoverished community that ultimately becomes something of a microcosm for the low income struggles of black America in general. As usual, Broomfield's unique investigative and experimental style is charming and captivating. The director doses tension with a hint of helplessness to ultimately leave the audience glancing anxiously at the windows of the house next door.