Last December, Netflix released a documentary that appealed to many True Crime fans. It is a docu-series of three episodes of about an hour each. Don't F**k With Cats, directed by Mark Lewis, revives many people's fears and obsessions. So we wanted to understand the enthusiasm of some and the disgust of others.
The story behind the documentary
We have all heard of the Montreal butcher. Luka Magnotta, a young man in his thirties today, posts a video on a fake Facebook account that quickly goes viral. This is "1 boy 2 kittens". This is the beginning of a twisted and sinister story that will last until 2014, when he will finally be arrested. Magnotta is charged with, among other things, first-degree murder and criminal harassment. It will prove to be unhealthy and particularly awkward with ease. Before becoming known to the Quebec police, he was the subject of a meticulous investigation by amateur detectives. In the documentary, we follow two of them closely: John Green (an alias) and Deanna Thompson, a data analyst for a Las Vegas casino. 
The controversy
With a score of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary was fairly well received. However, many deemed it too precise and not open to a wide audience, thus targeting fans of the True Crime genre. Many Internet users consider the documentary too trash, going too far. Even if no scene is explicit and that the passages necessary to understand the case considered too hard are largely blurred. It's clearly not the kind of documentary you're advised to watch while eating; You have to have a good heart just to listen to the descriptions made by the protagonists. We understand, reading different reactions, that the purpose of this documentary is not to please everyone. The Rotten Tomatoes presentation review explains it this way:
"Don't F**k With Cats offers an intriguing tale, but questionable intent and muddled storytelling make it a hard sell for anyone but true crime completists." "Don't F**k With Cats offers an intriguing tale, but an intention to question and a muddled way of storytelling, making it difficult to promote to anyone other than a True Crime buff."
Why this documentary?
In an interview, Mark Lewis explains that this docu-series is indeed a documentary. But not just. It is important to insist on the fact that we can do a double reading: a documentary and a thriller. And it's true that unlike others available on Netflix, Don't F**k With Cats mortifies us and keeps us in suspense throughout the three episodes. We must focus on the protagonists who have begun to investigate Magnotta. They are probably the most important in this documentary, and even in the story itself. Originally, a 90-minute format was planned, but the director explains that "[…] this was a story that had kind of many more tentacles […] ", "the story actually had many more tentacles." The documentary is not meant to be a new platform for Magnotta. That is by no means its purpose. Lewis really wanted to focus on the people around him. Especially those that allowed justice to be done. With such a docu-series, Netflix proves once again that it has several arrows to its bow. In the same category True Crime, Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes or Making a Murderer (review of season 2) will give you chills. All these True Crime documentaries are, of course, to be consumed without moderation! We wish you good chills!
The trailer of Don't F**k With Cats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41SMm-9-i4
Interview with Mark Lewis on his documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNHN-qhxZaA
