I haven’t seen it. Nor do I want to—right now. As I said to the Herald News, “I support fictional accounts of the Lizzie Borden story and the murders. In this case, the demonization of the victims is offensive to me. To make Andrew a sexual predator is undeserved in fact or fantasy. The lesbian issue was “invented” by Evan Hunter/Ed McBain in his book “Lizzie”. He was the first to propose the Lizzie/Bridget affair. I interviewed him before he died and he said that he wrote that because “sex sells.” I fear this film is about that same thing. If a creative effort is true to itself, makes dramatic sense in its own world, and works as a piece of theatre, then I say bully for them! I am never one to condemn a work of art because it does not conform to reality or history. I appreciate theatrical representations of Lizzie Borden even when they have her as the killer or a lesbian or a maniacal heartless woman. But it has to work. I will wait a while for now because I am not in the mood to be asked to hate Andrew so much that I am forced to think that he deserves to die.”
And it doesn’t sound like local Fall Riverites and Borden folks who follow the case liked it much either. “Slow,” they say. “Not believable.” “Well acted but not as good as expected.” And my favorite, “Where was Fall River in this movie?”
A really fine and well written essay on the film appeared on Vulture.com and I do recommend you read it. The author, Tori Telfer, has several articles on this site and all of them are really good reads. Tori is an historian of true crime, not a sensationalist as some are, and provides a much needed even-handed analysis of Lizzie Borden as represented in film.
The Problem With ‘Reimagining’ Lizzie Borden
I am a new big fan of hers. You will be too.
