Review of the Netflix Oscar Pistorius documentary series Rating *****
Early in the first of four episodes, a crime scene reenactment expert walks viewers through Oscar’s moment-by-moment recounting of the events that led to him accidentally shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He is aided by an animation and some video reenactments of Oscar’s mobility limitations while on his stumps. Had this same expert testified at the trial, along with the animation, I believe the judge would have found him not guilty on all charges.
Oscar’s story has never wavered. Police focused on him because of witness statements that seemed to indicate that there was an argument before the gunshots. I won’t go over the reasons why this wasn’t true and was proven to be false at trial, but it was disproven, and the prosecution’s entire case relied solely on those witness statements. If you watch the recreation and listen to Oscar describing what was going through his mind, there is no doubt that this was a tragic accident.
The question then becomes what punishment, if any, would be fair. In my mind, he should not have received any punishment. Accidents happen. He wasn’t reckless. He genuinely feared that an intruder had entered his home and was hiding behind a bathroom door. To me, it’s similar to cases where a parent inadvertently leaves their child in a hot car, and the police charge them with manslaughter or murder.
The background information on Oscar Pistorius paints a picture of a kind, caring individual who overcame obstacles to become a Paralympic medal winner. No one is perfect, and the filmmakers give equal time to those who paint a more negative picture of the man. I believe in the saying that you can’t judge a person based solely on their worst moment.
With the Olympics just weeks away and Oscar recently released from prison, this is one documentary series you shouldn’t miss.