The latest in Netflix’s American Murder series details the events surrounding the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito. This chilling entry is one part jarring crime documentary and another part – an offering of one girl’s romance with social media. It reflects our greater cultural norm to reveal every aspect of our lives online in an effort to document our escapes and loves – peeling back the curtain on what commonly were private social activities before the advent of the internet.
Gabby was a young woman with dreams like any other. And her fascination with then boyfriend Brian Laundrie was zealously recorded and shared online by Petito herself during their fated cross country trek in 2021. Filmmakers Michael Gasparro and Julia Willoughby Nason were at no loss to curate footage of Gabby and Brian – both appearing mostly smitten with each other for the camera.
Being an aspiring vlogger, Petito detailed every moment of her cross country journey with Brian producing countless video and photos for online followers to consume. Also unearthed and displayed in this doc are files from her own personal phone and laptop – text messages and recordings of practically every moment of connection while traveling with her boyfriend.
This documentary shines a spotlight on not only the senseless killing of Gabby at the hands of her boyfriend, but also the extent to which Gabby went to capture a multitude of events – especially depicting her burgeoning love for Laundrie who she was expected to eventually marry.
However, all this footage also provides the viewer with on-camera reveals of micro-expressions that she and Laundrie share, ultimately suggesting that maybe this isn’t a match made in heaven.
In the footage, Brian is often on the sidelines with a smirk on his face, trying to appear “on” for Gabby’s omnipresent camera and narration. And Gabby herself goes on to collect many takes of her speaking to her outings for online followers, appearing downtrodden when she thinks she hasn’t spoken eloquently or feels she doesn’t appear confident enough for the camera.
The creators of this doc allude that Brian himself felt that Gabby’s pursuit of constant vlogging was an annoyance to him. And maybe a catalyst for his emerging protectiveness and violence toward her.
The three-episode documentary also reveals the existence of Gabby’s previous boyfriend, a bit of a surprise for viewers who maybe weren’t aware of this relationship. Petito had reached out to him during her and Laundrie’s cross-country travel, sharing via text messages that she intended to leave Laundrie as fighting between the pair began to escalate.
Also, there’s a quick aside wherein CNN contributor Mara Schiavocampo reminds us, in the wake of the investigation and discovery of Petito’s body, how American media gives a disproportionate amount of attention to missing and endangered white women as opposed to indigenous women or women of color. A truth which at first upsets Petito’s grieving father Joe, but later inspires him and Gabby’s mother Nichole to push a bill into existence that reforms how police authorities question suspected aggressors in domestic violence calls.
Lastly, a detraction one might cull from this show are the filmmakers use of AI to replicate Gabby’s voice to narrate over footage depicting her journals and text messages. At first, it might take the viewer out of the moment. Even though the voice closely resembles that of Petito (almost too accurately), it just adds to this question – does AI help us to best honor and remember those who have passed?
Overall, this entry by filmmakers Michael Gasparro and Julia Willoughby Nason in Netflix’s current trilogy of American Murder stories offers a reminder of Gabby’s legacy. A reminder of how her disappearance and demise reverberated through our collective consciousness just a few short years ago.
