I generally don’t venture too much into the true crime genre, as it seems like every week someone has made a new documentary, docuseries, or episode of a newsmagazine that focuses on someone being murdered, or going missing, somewhere. I know people love this entire sub genre of television, just like they prefer procedural dramas over non-procedural shows with more linear storytelling. Crime doesn’t pay, but it sure does sell. Night In west Texas made the long list of documentary features that have qualified for the Oscars this year, so perhaps the branch will also embrace their inner true crime junkie.

I don’t normally do spoiler warnings for reviews, but since a chunk of my score is reflected in what you might perceive as a spoiler, it is worth noting. Night In West Texas, which does not have audio description I’m aware of, tells the story of a gay man in 1981 who is wrongfully convicted of murdering a Priest in Odessa, Texas. Yes. THAT odessa. Clear Minds, Full Hearts, You Still Lose If You’re Gay, that Odessa. Home of the inspiration for Friday Night Lights.

it is easy to understand how in 1981, blaming a gay Apache man is pretty on brand for Texas. I feel like, for the period, it is somehow evolved that they didn’t just use some old timey form of justice on the spot. I grew up in an equally red area, a bit north in the Ozarks, and people just never discussed it. It wasn’t even the quick go to for bullies to throw at you, because some communities fight to be so insulated that the concept of queerness in any form is stamped out lest someone learn of its existence.

I can sympathize with anyone having to live in this deeply oppressive area, and then on top of that, being blamed for a murder while you have a pretty solid alibi. I believe he was actually in the drunk tank, in police custody. Nevertheless, after berating him through an interrogation, they got a confession. He recanted, when he found clarity, but it was too late. Ever since then, he’s been fighting to get out.

But, he does get out, and somehow I had that figured out way earlier than I needed to. I thought of all the cards to hold closest to your chest, making it seem like he’s still behind bars today is the most effective. But, Night In West Texas is a bit more based in the journey, and the fight to get him released, than it is the actual result. It wants to rally your inner activist by showing you just how utterly absurd it is that he was ever convicted in the first place, and also speak directly to a similar population of gay men who live in places like odessa, and know exactly how unwelcoming it feels to be there. these towns don’t have gay bars or pride parades, but should everyone have to move away from everyone and everything they know just to be safe? In a way, night In West Texas, is a story about anyone who has grown up in a place that didn’t want “their kind”, and made it known. They call these cautionary tales, but after a while, how many do you need before something changes so we don’t always have to proceed with caution?

There’s more to the case that I hope you get to uncover for yourself, especially regarding the victim. I got my fix of true crime, and the adrenaline rush that others seem to get from it, works. I get it. You get riled up, because you want justice to happen, and justice isn’t served if the wrong person is behind bars. This feeling isn’t as lasting as other effects, especially when you know the subject is safe, which is probably why people need to consume so much true crime. Truman Capote would be so proud.

Fans of true crime will already seek out Night In West Texas, but for the casual viewer, the injustice should make your blood boil, and for others, it reminds how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go.

Fresh: Final Grade: 7.9/10