When a disgraced journalist meets a murderer who stole his identity, who wins?
In short: In 2001, Christian Longo murdered his family and fled to Mexico, assuming the identity of disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel. The resulting film, True Story, chronicles their chilling prison correspondence, where a manipulative killer attempts to craft his own narrative while ensnaring the man whose life he stole.
The 2015 film True Story, directed by Rupert Goold, explores the psychological entanglement between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, a man on the FBI's most-wanted list. After Finkel is fired from The New York Times for fabricating a composite character in a cover story, he finds himself drawn to Longo, who had been using Finkel's name while hiding in Mexico. The two men begin a series of prison visits and letters, with Longo promising to reveal his side of the murders of his wife and three children in exchange for writing lessons.
As the trial approaches, Finkel becomes increasingly absorbed by Longo, even identifying similarities between their handwriting and journals. Longo, described by detective Greg Ganley as an extremely manipulative figure, uses these interactions to test his courtroom testimony. During the trial, Longo admits to killing his wife and one daughter, claiming he acted in a blind rage after discovering his wife had drowned the other children. However, the film reveals this was merely another layer of deception, as Longo later admits to killing his entire family.
The narrative is punctuated by dark ironies, such as when Finkel's wife, Jill, plays a madrigal by Carlo Gesualdo—a composer who also murdered his wife and child—to confront Longo with his own nature. Despite the film's premise, it received mixed reviews from critics, holding a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The final irony remains: while Finkel never returned to the Times, Longo has continued to contribute articles to various publications, including the Times, from death row. The two men reportedly continue to speak on the first Sunday of every month.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: True Story (film)
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