DREAM/KILLER
In 2005, 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. dream/killer is the story of how his father, Bill, embarked on a 10-year campaign to prove Ryan’s innocence. The film is chock-full of incredible characters. From the questionable District Attorney Kevin Crane, and the highly-confused witness Chuck Erickson, to the high-powered Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner, the doc depicts both a highly flawed justice system, as well as one that can work brilliantly.
Limited Theaters December 4th. DreamKillerFilm.com
In Columbia, Missouri in 2005, Ryan Ferguson was convicted of murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison despite no physical evidence linking the then-21-year-old to the crime. As he languished in a cell, his father Bill spent nearly 10 years building up evidence that would exonerate his son from his Kafkaesque nightmare. Inspired by Errol Morris' true-crime documentary The Thin Blue Line, director Andrew Jenks (Room 335, MTV's World of Jenks) dissects Ryan's case, showing the corruptive nature of power and brutally slow machinations of the U.S. justice system. Fans of Serial and The Jinx, meet your new favorite film.
The true-crime category, hot in the wake of “The Jinx” on HBO, is well represented by Andrew Jenks’s moving “dream/killer,” about a notorious instance of wrongful conviction and imprisonment in Missouri. Mr. Jenks exhaustively chronicles the case of Ryan Ferguson, sentenced as a teenager to 40 years in prison for the random murder of a journalist. The filmmaker capably orchestrates suspense (if you don’t already know the outcome) and benefits immeasurably from an immensely likable central character, Ryan’s father, Bill, who narrates his own decade-long battle to win his son’s release.
Behind bars, Ryan provides a candid and intimate look at his life, while gorgeous animation is used to recreate his 10-year ordeal. Poignant footage from the Ferguson family archive is interspersed throughout creating a highly personal and revealing film. Bill Ferguson is not only a father but a best friend to Ryan as is demonstrated by his tireless energy and relentless creativity in his fight to bring his son back home where he belongs.
— Deborah Rudolph
- a "gripping doc."
- "A case sure to infuriate viewers."
“At 107 minutes, dream/killer is one of the longer documentaries this year at Tribeca, but it races by.”
“Dream/Killer is a powerful, disturbing look into the American judicial system.”
“‘DREAM/KILLER’ is frightening for reasons you must see to believe.”