American Vandal
2017
Original language: English
- comedy
- crime
The story
In the wake of their first documentary's success, Peter and Sam seek a new case and settle on a stomach-churning mystery at a Washington high school.
What it’s like
Flat, fluorescent-lit high school corridors shot in a documentary style: handheld interviews framed like true-crime talking heads, with suburban rooms, bleachers and parking lots rendered in the dull, overexposed palette of a local news segment. Camera work stays close and a little unsteady, cutting between sit-down confessions and grainy surveillance-style footage, while the score is sparse and deliberately mock-ominous, all ticking clocks and sudden stings that undercut the seriousness. The vibe is deadpan and irreverent, a straight-faced parody of amateur sleuthing that keeps finding absurd humour in earnest talk. It suits a long weekend binge, a laugh-out-loud evening with friends, or a late-night watch when you want something that feels like poking fun at true crime. Pacing is brisk, with episodes that build a running gag into a surprisingly tender look at two teenagers who take their self-appointed investigation far too seriously. Intensity is low: crude jokes, sex talk and teen profanity, but no real violence and no gore. It is for people who enjoy mockumentary comedy, true-crime spoofs, and irreverent high-school humour.
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